Safe Quarry - Health and Safety Authority

Safe Quarry 

Guidelines to the Safety, 

Health and Welfare at Work 

(Quarries) Regulations 2008 

(S.I. No. 28 of 2008)

Published in May 2008 by the Health and Safety Authority. 

© All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval 

system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, 

recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the Health and Safety Authority.

Acknowledgments 

These Guidelines on the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work 

(Quarries) Regulations 2008 were developed with the assistance and 

advice of a Working Group on Quarrying Safety, representative of a wide 

range of interests in the quarrying industry. 

The Health and Safety Authority wishes to express its grateful appreciation to the 

members of the Group. 

The Authority also wishes to record its appreciation to the Mineral Engineering 

Department, Athlone Institute of Technology, for the assistance and facilities afforded 

the Group during its work. 

Members of Working Group on Quarrying Safety 

Mr Nigel Foley-Fisher (Chairman), Mineral Engineering Department, Athlone Institute 

of Technology 

Mr Macarten McGroder and Mr Tommy Weir, Irish Mining and Quarrying Society (IMQS) 

Mr Dermot Carey and Mr Justin Molloy, Construction Industry Federation (CIF) 

Mr Paul Kelly, Irish Business and Employer’s Federation (IBEC) 

Mr Christy Cullen,The Services, Industrial, Professional and Technical Union (SIPTU) 

Mr Reddy Morley, Mr Michael Keating and Mr Anthony Moran, Irish Concrete 

Federation (ICF) 

Mr John Sheils, Institution of Engineers of Ireland (IEI) 

Mr Stephen Harney, Mineral Engineering Department Athlone Institute of Technology 

Mr Pat Griffin, Mr Manus Tiernan and Mr Jim Holmes, HSA Inspectors 

Ms Aoife Guerin, HSA (Secretary) 

SAFE QUARRY GUIDELINES TO THE SAFETY, HEALTH AND WELFARE AT WORK (QUARRIES) REGULATIONS 2008 3

CONTENTS 

Section Title Related Regulations Page No 

PART 1 PRELIMINARY AND GENERAL 

INTRODUCTION (Regulation 1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 

1 WHAT IS A QUARRY? (Regulation 3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 

PART 2 SAFETY AND HEALTH MANAGEMENT 

2 APPOINTMENT OF OPERATOR (Regulation 6) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 

3 OPERATOR TO BE APPOINTED 

BEFORE WORK COMMENCES (Regulation 7) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 

4 NOTIFICATION TO AUTHORITY (Regulation 8) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 

5 GENERAL DUTIES OF OPERATOR (Regulation 9) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 

6 CONTRACTOR (Sections 7 & 21 of 2005 Act) . . . . . . . . . 16 

7 MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE (Regulation 10) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 

8 THE SAFETY STATEMENT (Regulation 11) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 

9 CO-ORDINATED MEASURES (Regulation 12) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 

10 SAFETY INDUCTION, COMPETENCE AND 

SKILLS CERTIFICATION (Regulation 13) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 

11 INSTRUCTIONS, RULES AND 

OPERATING PROCEDURES (Regulation 14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 

12 PERMITS TO WORK (Regulation 15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 

13 DUTIES OF PERSONS AT WORK (Regulation 16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 

14 CONSULTATION (Regulation 17) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 

15 RECORD KEEPING (Regulation 18) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 

PART 3 GENERAL SAFETY PROVISIONS 

16 INSPECTION, MAINTENANCE AND TESTING (Regulation 19) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 

16.1 IMMINENT RISKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 

16.2 RECORDS OF INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 

17 SAFETY EQUIPMENT (Regulation 20) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 

18 BENCHES AND HAUL ROADS (Regulation 21) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 

19 SAFEGUARDING EDGES OF 

EXCAVATIONS AND LAGOONS (Regulation 22) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 

20 VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC RULES (Regulation 23) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 

21 DANGER AREAS (Regulation 24) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 

22 TRAFFIC ROUTES (Regulation 25) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 

23 OUTDOOR WORKSTATIONS (Regulation 26) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 

24 PROTECTION FROM FALLING OBJECTS AND 

PROVISION OF SAFETY HELMETS (Regulation 27) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 

25 PREVENTION OF DROWNING (Regulation 28) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 

26 ESCAPE AND RESCUE FACILITIES (Regulation 29) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 

27 SAFETY DRILLS (Regulation 30) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 

28 FIRE AND EXPLOSION HAZARDS (Regulation 31) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 

29 EXPLOSIVE OR HARMFUL ATMOSPHERES (Regulation 32) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 

30 LIGHTING (Regulation 33) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 

31 PREVENTION OF UNAUTHORISED ENTRY (Regulation 34) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 

4 

SAFE QUARRY GUIDELINES TO THE SAFETY, HEALTH AND WELFARE AT WORK (QUARRIES) REGULATIONS 2008


PART 4 SAFETY PROVISIONS FOR ANCILLARY ACTIVITIES AND INSTALLATIONS 

32 APPLICATION OF THIS PART (Regulation 35) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 

33 STABILITY AND SOLIDITY (Regulation 36) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 

34 FLOORS, WALLS, AND CEILINGS AND OF ROOMS (Regulation 37) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 

35 ROOM DIMENSIONS AND AIR 

SPACE IN ROOMS ETC (Regulation 38) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 

36 WINDOWS AND SKYLIGHTS (Regulation 39) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 

37 DOORS AND GATES (Regulation 40) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 

38 VENTILATION (Regulation 41) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 

39 TEMPERATURE IN ROOMS (Regulation 42) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 

PART 5 EXPLOSIVES 

40 APPLICATION OF PART FIVE (Regulation 43) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 

41 APPOINTMENTS OF EXPLOSIVE SUPERVISORS, 

SHOTFIRERS AND STOREKEEPERS (Regulation 44) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 

41.1 EXPLOSIVES SUPERVISOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 

41.2 APPOINTMENT OF SHOTFIRER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 

41.3 BLASTING CONTRACTORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 

42 STORAGE,TRANSPORT, USE AND 

DISPOSAL OF EXPLOSIVES (Regulation 45) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 

42.1 CUSTODY OF EXPLOSIVES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 

42.2 ON SITE SECURITY OF EXPLOSIVES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 

42.3 USE OF VEHICLES TO TRANSPORT EXPLOSIVES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 

42.4 PROVISION AND MAINTENANCE OF EQUIPMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 

42.5 DISPOSAL OF SURPLUS AND DETERIORATED EXPLOSIVES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 

43 SHOTFIRING RULES (Regulation 46) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 

44 BLASTING SPECIFICATION (Regulations 47) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 

45 SHOTFIRING OPERATIONS (Regulation 48) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 

46 DUTIES OF EXPLOSIVES SUPERVISOR AND SHOTFIRER (Regulation 49) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 

47 MISFIRES (Regulation 50) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 

48 PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES (Regulation 51) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 

PART 6 SAFETY OF EXCAVATIONS (INCLUDING QUARRY FACES), TIPS AND LAGOONS 

49 INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 

50 GENERAL DUTY TO ENSURE SAFETY 

OF EXCAVATIONS,TIPS AND LAGOONS (Regulation 52) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 

50.1 DESIGN OF EXCAVATIONS,TIPS AND LAGOONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 

50.2 WORKING EXCAVATIONS,TIPS, AND LAGOONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 

51 OPERATING PROCEDURES FOR 

EXCAVATION,TIPS AND LAGOONS (Regulation 53) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 

52 APPRAISAL AND SITE INVESTIGATION 

OF EXCAVATIONS,TIPS AND LAGOONS (Regulation 54) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 

53 GEOTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT (Regulation 55) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 

53.1 OPERATOR’S DUTIES IN RELATION TO 

EXCAVATIONS,TIPS AND LAGOONS 

WHICH ARE A SIGNIFICANT HAZARD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 


Contents cont’d 


53.2 OPERATORS DUTIES IN RELATION TO 

EXCAVATIONS,TIPS AND LAGOONS 

WHICH ARE NOT A SIGNIFICANT HAZARD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 

53.3 TRANSITIONAL ARRANGEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 

PART 7 AIR RECEIVERS 

54 APPLICATION (Regulation 56) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 

55 SAFETY PRECAUTIONS (Regulations 57) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 

56 MAINTENANCE AND EXAMINATION (Regulation 58) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 

PART 8 GENERAL HEALTH HAZARDS 

57 HEALTH HAZARDS (Regulation 59) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 

58 ATMOSPHERIC INFLUENCES (Regulation 60) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 

59 DISPOSAL OF WASTE (Regulation 61) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 

60 STATIONARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION 

ENGINES AND EXHAUST GASES (Regulation 62) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 

61 HEALTH SURVEILLANCE (Regulation 63) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 

PART 9 WELFARE 

62 SHELTERS AND ACCOMMODATION FOR 

CLOTHING AND FOR TAKING MEALS (Regulation 64) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 

63 CHANGING ROOMS AND LOCKERS (Regulation 65) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 

64 WASHING FACILITIES (Regulation 66) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 

65 SANITARY CONVENIENCES (Regulation 67) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 

66 SAFE ACCESS TO PLACES WHERE 

FACILITIES ARE PROVIDED (Regulation 68) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 

67 PREGNANT WOMEN AND NURSING MOTHERS (Regulation 69) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 

68 PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES (Regulation 70) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 

69 REST ROOMS (Regulation 71) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 

APPENDIX 

Appendix 1 Quarry Skills Certification Scheme Schedule 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 

Appendix 2 Vehicles Requiring Auxiliary Devices and Visual Aids Schedule 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 

Appendix 3 Geotechnical Assessments Schedule 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 

Appendix 4 Air Receivers Schedule 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 

6 


ILLUSTRATIONS, DIAGRAMS & TABLES 

Illustrations & Photographs 

Reference Title Page No 

PART 2: SAFETY AND HEALTH MANAGEMENT 

Figure 1 Notification of Commencement or Abandonment of Quarrying Operations 

or Change of Operator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 

Figure 2 Sample management structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 

PART 3: GENERAL SAFETY PROVISIONS 

Figure 3 Sample daily inspection record for a quarry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 

Figure 4 Crushed by Face Collapse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 

Figure 5 Sample inspection form for periodic inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 

Figure 6 Recommended haul road width (single vehicle) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 

Figure 7 Recommended haul road width (two-way traffic) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 

Figure 8 Grade as a percentage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 

Figure 9 Grade as an angle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 

Figure 10 Comparison percent v degrees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 

Figure 11 Excessive gradients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 

Figure 12 Vehicle over running an edge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 

Figure 13 Edge protection less than 1.5 metres or the radius of the largest vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 34 

Figure 14 Boulders or blocks of stone used as edge protection that can 

be easily pushed aside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 

Figure 15 Consolidated bank of material large enough to absorb a vehicles momentum . . . . . 35 

Figure 16 Rocks with heapings of scalpings between and behind the rocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 

Figure 17 Responsibilities for ensuring safe operation of vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 

Figure 18 Unsafe tipping point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 

Figure 19 Safe tipping point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 

Figure 20 Excavator with falling object protection provided . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 

Figure 21 Improved all round visibility provided by CCTV system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 

Figure 22 Photo montage of a large dumper truck fitted with CCTV and 

mirrors to improve visibility from the driving position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 

Figure 23 Two means of supporting a tipper body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 

Figure 24 Wheel handling equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 

Figure 25 Control measures for reversing operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 

Figure 26 Overhead cable protection at a traffic route . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 

Figure 27 Signage, bunding and rescue equipment at a sand & gravel lagoon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 

Figure 28 Installing quarry face edge protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 

Figure 29 Installing quarry face edge protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 

Figure 30 Installing quarry face edge protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 

Figure 31 Customer collection area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 

Figure 32 Deep water warning signs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 

Figure 33 Operating a quarry using artificial lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 

Figure 34 Protecting the boundary of a quarry from inadvertent access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 

PART 5: EXPLOSIVES 

Figure 35 Survey instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 

Figure 36 Damage caused by Fly-rock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 

Figure 37 Drilled face . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 

PART 6: SAFETY OF EXCAVATIONS (INCLUDING QUARRY FACES), TIPS AND LAGOONS 

Figure 38 Horizontally bedded strata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 

Figure 39 Steeply dipping strata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 

Figure 40 Flowchart of the appraisal & assessments of excavations, tips and lagoons . . . . . . . . 75 

Figure 41 Significant Hazard – loose blocks above working area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 

Figure 42 Significant Hazard – unstable stockpile recovery face . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 

Figure 43 Criteria for significant hazards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 

Figure 44 Illustration of the terms ‘overall face angle’,‘individual face’, toe’ and ‘crest’ . . . . . . . . . 78 

Figure 45 Tables of provision of sanitary facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 


PART I 

INTERPRETATION AND GENERAL 

Regulation 1 

Citation and commencement. 

1. (1) These Regulations may be cited as the 

Safety, Health and Welfare at Work 

(Quarries) Regulations 2008. 

(2) Subject to paragraph (3), these Regulations 

shall come into operation on 1 May 2008. 

(3) Regulations 13(c) and 16(b) shall come into 

operation on 1 November 2009. 

Introduction 

These Quarry Regulations 2008 are made under the 

Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 2005 and 

come into effect on the 1st May 2008.All the requirements 

of these regulations are immediate except for 

the requirements in relation to the quarry skills registrations 

cards which have an 18 month lead in period 

and come into effect on 1st November 2009. These 

regulations apply to all quarries and the 18 month 

lead in does not apply to any other requirement. 

Throughout this guidance document the text of the 

regulations and schedules is in italic type, as above, 

and followed by brief non-exhaustive guidance. 

Following this guidance is not compulsory and 

operators are free to establish and follow other 

equal or higher standards. However, if you do follow 

this guidance you will normally be doing enough to 

comply fully with the quarries regulations. 

Other health and safety legislation apply to work at 

quarries such as many parts of the General 

Application Regulations 2007, Construction 

Regulations,Chemicals Regulations,etc.and must be 

applied as and when applicable.Further guidance is 

available from the Health and Safety Authority on 

those regulations. www.hsa.ie 

Regulation 2 

Interpretation. 

2. (1) In these Regulations - 

“Act” means the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 

2005 (No. 10 of 2005); 

“appoint”, in relation to a person, means appoint in 

writing with a written statement summarising his or 

her responsibilities and duties; 

“blast specification” means a blast specification 

prepared under Regulation 47; 

“detonator” means an initiator for explosives that 

contains a charge of high explosive fired by means of a 

flame, spark, electric current or shock tube; 

“excavation”means any place at a quarry where minerals 

are being or have been extracted and includes the 

ground,faces or sides of that place and any other incline; 

“exploder” means a device designed for firing 

detonators; 

“explosives” means Class 1 explosives as classified in 

the manual published by the United Nations 

Organisation and entitled “Fifteenth Revised Edition 

of the Recommendations prepared by the United 

Nations Committee of Experts on the Transport of 

Dangerous Goods” (ISBN 92-1-139120-6) or a later 

edition thereof that is in substitution for, and not an 

alternative to, that edition; 

“explosive substance” means a solid or liquid substance 

(or a mixture of those substances) that is, by itself, 

capable by chemical reaction of producing gas at such 

temperature, pressure and speed as could cause 

damage to its surroundings; 

“explosives store” means any of the following: 

(a) a magazine licensed under sections 6 to 8 of the 

Explosives Act 1875, 

(b) a store licensed under section 15 of that Act, 

(c) premises registered in accordance with section 21 

of that Act; 

“explosives supervisor” means a person appointed 

under Regulation 44 to organise and supervise all work 

involving explosives; 

“FÁS” means An Foras Áiseanna Saothair; 

“FETAC” means the Further Education and Training 

Awards Council established under section 12 of the 

Qualifications (Education and Training) Act 1999 (No. 

26 of 1999); 

“geotechnical specialist” means a professional 

engineer or professional geologist competent to carry 

out a geotechnical assessment under Part 6; 

“lagoon” means any natural or artificial pond 

(including any water-filled excavation) used in connection 

with quarrying operations and includes - 

(a) such a pond that treats waste water utilising sunlight, 

bacterial action and oxygen to purify that water,and 

(b) a place at a quarry where waste water, sludge and 

liquid waste accumulate or are stored; 

“minerals” means any natural deposit, including stone, 

8 


PART I 


slate, clay, gravel and sand, and includes products of 

minerals, but does not include petroleum within the 

meaning of Part II of the Petroleum and Other Minerals 

Development Act 1960 (No. 7 of 1960) or peat; 

“misfire” means an occurrence in relation to the firing 

of shots where - 

(a) testing before firing reveals broken continuity that 

cannot be rectified, or 

(b) a shot or any part of a shot fails to explode when 

an attempt is made to fire it; 

“operator”, in relation to a quarry, means an employer 

or other person who has been appointed under 

Regulation 6 by a quarry owner; 

“preparation for sale” includes the crushing, screening, 

washing, drying and bagging of minerals; 

“prospecting” means the activity of searching for 

minerals or mineral deposits; 

“public road” means a road over which a public right of 

way exists and the responsibility for the maintenance 

of which lies on a local authority within the meaning 

of the Local Government Act 2001 (No. 37 of 2001); 

“quarry” has the meaning given to it by Regulation 3; 

“quarry manager”means an individual appointed under 

Regulation 10 to manage the operation of a quarry; 

“quarry owner” means the owner of a quarry, or part 

of a quarry; 

“registration card” means a quarries skills registration 

card issued by FÁS pursuant to paragraph (3) and 

Schedule 1 under the Quarries Skills Certification 

Scheme; 

“safety fuse” means a cord that contains an internal 

burning medium by which fire is conveyed at a continuous 

and uniform rate for the purpose of firing detonators 

or blackpowder, without initiating burning in a 

similar fuse that may be in lateral contact alongside; 

“shot” means a single shot or a series of shots fired as 

part of one blast; 

“shotfirer”means a person appointed under Regulation 

44 to be responsible for shotfiring operations; 

“shotfiring operations” includes any of the following: 

(a) checking to ensure that the blast specification is 

still appropriate for the site conditions at the time 

the blasting is to take place, 

(b) checking the geometry of shotholes, 

(c) mixing explosives, 

(d) priming a cartridge, 

(e) charging and stemming a shothole, 

(f) linking or connecting a series of shots, 

(g) withdrawal and sheltering of persons, 

(h) inspecting and testing a shotfiring circuit, 

(i) firing a shot, 

(j) checking for misfires, 

(k) destroying surplus explosives; 

“shotfiring rules”means rules made under Regulation 46; 

“storekeeper” means a person appointed under 

Regulation 44 to be responsible for the safe operation 

of an explosives store; 

“tip”means an accumulation or deposit of minerals used 

in connection with quarrying operations and includes - 

(a) overburden dumps, backfills, spoil heaps, stock piles 

and any wall or structure that retains or confines a 

tip, and 

(b) a tip that had been used during previous quarrying 

or mining operations and from which minerals are 

being extracted for further use or for sale; 

“trainee shotfirer” means a person appointed under 

Regulation 44 for the purpose of undergoing training 

in shotfiring operations under the close personal 

supervision of a shotfirer; 

“vehicle and traffic rules” means rules made under 

Regulation 23; 

“workstation” means any location at a quarry where 

work or work-related activities are undertaken. 

(2) Where, under these Regulations, a person is 

required to make instructions, rules, operating procedures 

or schemes, such instructions, rules, operating 

procedures or schemes, as the case may be, shall be set 

out in writing and reasonable in the context of duty 

that the person is required to carry out. 

(3) Taking account of the European Communities 

(Recognition of Qualifications and Experience) 

Regulations 2003 (S.I. No. 372 of 2003) and in compliance 

with Directive 2005/36/EC of the European 

Parliament and of the Council of 7 September 2005 on 

the recognition of professional qualifications , FÁS 

shall issue registration cards (with photographic 

identification) pursuant to Schedule 1 and maintain a 

register of the cards issued. 

The above establish many new definitions within 

the quarry regulations which are essential to the 

interpretation and meaning of the regulations. 


PART I 


1. WHAT IS A QUARRY? 

(Regulation 3) 

Meaning of “quarry” 

3. (1) In these Regulations “quarry” means, 

subject to paragraph (2), an excavation or 

system of excavations for the purpose of, or 

in connection with, the surface extraction 

of, or prospecting for, minerals and includes 

any of the following: 

(a) so much of the area (including works thereon 

and ancillary surface installations such as 

buildings and other premises and structures 

providing accommodation, rest and sanitary 

facilities) adjacent to or surrounding 

quarrying operations as is occupied for the 

purpose of, or used in connection with - 

(i) those operations, 

(ii) the storage or preparation for sale of the 

minerals extracted from the quarry, or 

(iii) the removal from the quarry of any substance 

extracted from the quarry; 

(b) a tip; 

(c) a lagoon; 

(d) a reclamation site - 

(i) from which materials are being extracted for 

further use or for sale, and 

(ii) where that extraction forms part of the 

process whereby that site is restored for 

agricultural,industrial,leisure or domestic use; 

(e) a railway line or siding at the quarry. 

(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), “quarry” does 

not include any of the following: 

(a) a mine within the meaning of section 3 of the 

Mines and Quarries Act 1965 (No. 7 of 1965); 

(b) a place where any of the following operations 

are carried out: 

(i) extraction of minerals through drilling 

by boreholes, 

(ii) prospecting with a view to such extraction, 

(iii) preparation for sale of such extracted materials; 

(c) an excavation or system of excavations made 

in the carrying out of construction work 

within the meaning of the Safety, Health and 

Welfare at Work (Construction) Regulations 

(S.I. No. 504 of 2006); 

(d) 

(e) 

(f) 

a public road; 

an area of a quarry at which any manufacturing 

process (including the processing of 

minerals) is carried out; 

an area of a quarry that is being used 

exclusively for a work activity unconnected 

with the extraction of minerals, or the 

preparation for sale of minerals. 

A quarry is an excavation or series of excavations 

made for the purpose of, or in connection with, the 

surface extraction of minerals (whether in their 

natural state or in solution) or products of minerals. 

A quarry includes: 

All the surface mineral workings and excavations; 

Tips (even if they are outside the site boundary); 

Storage of minerals (including stockpiles); 

Lagoons (natural or man made); 

Areas used for preparation of extracted minerals 

for sale (this includes crushing, screening, 

washing, drying, bagging and loading areas); 

Quarry roadways and railways; 

Buildings and structures at the quarry used for 

the working of the quarry; and 

Any reclamation site or disused tips (where the 

minerals are being extracted for sale or further 

use). 

The activities covered are: 

(a) Preparation for the extraction of minerals; 

(b) Work activities where mineral extraction or 

preparation takes place; 

(c) Work to prevent water or other material flowing 

into an adjacent quarry; (even after quarrying 

has finished); and 

(d) Abandonment of a quarry including reclamation 

and landscaping work. 

A quarry does not include an excavation or system 

of excavations made for the purpose of,or in connection 

with,the extraction of such minerals or products 

of minerals where the exclusive purpose of that 

extraction is to enable the minerals or products of 

minerals so extracted to be used for the purpose of 

carrying out any building work, civil engineering or 

engineering construction work on the site at which 

10 


PART I 


the extraction has taken place.However borrow pits 

outside the area where construction will take place 

are covered by these quarry regulations. 

A quarry does not include a mine; a public road; or 

a railway line. Also a quarry does not include 

prospecting, extraction or preparation for sale of 

minerals extracted by boreholes such as oil and gas. 

Demarcation 

Dividing a quarry into areas where the Quarries 

Regulations apply and other areas where they do 

not, may, in some cases, cause confusion. In such 

cases the operator may find it more convenient to 

treat the whole quarry site as being subject to the 

Quarries Regulations. Demarcation is at the discretion 

of the operator, however additional legal 

requirements may also be applicable to some activities 

and must be considered. 

Areas that the operator deems that the Quarries 

Regulations do not apply should be clearly marked 

on a site plan and the plan should be included in the 

safety statement and arrangements for coordinating 

safety and health between the operator 

and the occupants of any excluded areas should be 

explained in the safety statement. 

The Quarries Regulations apply to sites while 

minerals are extracted for a further use as part of 

another process, such as reclamation. 

Rail lines operated by a railway company are not legally 

part of a quarry; however,any part of a railway system 

that a quarry operates itself forms part of the quarry. 

Application 


(1) Subject to paragraph (2), these Regulations 

apply to all quarries. 

(2) These Regulations do not apply to a quarry 

in relation to which - 

(a) notice of permanent cessation of quarrying 

operations has been given to the Authority 

in accordance with Regulation 8, and 

(b) all work relating and incidental to that 

cessation has been completed, including 

work for the purpose of preventing the 

escape from that quarry of water or other 

substance that flows when wet. 

(3) The relevant statutory provisions apply to all 

quarries, without prejudice to more stringent or 

specific provisions contained in these Regulations. 

Amendment of Safety, Health and Welfare at Work 

(Extractive Industries) Regulations 1997. 


The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work 

(Extractive Industries) Regulations 1997 (S.I. No. 

467 of 1997) are amended by inserting after 

Regulation 3 the following Regulation: 

“Non-application to quarries 

3A.Notwithstanding Regulations 2(1) and 3, 

these Regulations shall not apply to a quarry 

within the meaning of the Safety, Health and 

Welfare at Work (Quarries) Regulations 2008.”. 


PART 2 

SAFETY AND HEALTH MANAGEMENT 

2. APPOINTMENT OF OPERATOR 


6. 

(1) Before the commencement of operations at 

a quarry, or part of a quarry - 

(a) the quarry owner shall appoint a competent 

person who has sufficient resources to be 

the operator of the quarry, or part of the 

quarry, as the case may be, or 

(b) where the quarry owner is competent and 

has sufficient resources to do so, he or she 

may appoint himself or herself as operator 

of the quarry, or part of the quarry and shall 

make a record of the appointment. 

(2) Where the quarry owner under paragraph (1)(a) 

appoints another person to be the operator of the 

quarry, or part of the quarry, both parties shall 

sign the record and the quarry owner shall 

provide a copy of the signed record to the operator. 

(3) The original record and a signed copy of it shall 

be kept by the quarry owner and the operator, 

respectively, for a period of 6 years from the 

termination of the operator’s appointment as 

operator of the quarry, or part of the quarry. 

(4) The quarry owner shall provide the operator with 

any relevant information available to him or her, 

which might affect the safety, health and welfare 

of persons at work at the quarry. 

(5) Where the quarry owner appoints different 

operators for different parts of his or her quarry, 

he or she shall - 

(a) appoint one of them to be the common 

operator for the purposes of Regulation 12, 

and 

(b) demarcate the different parts of the quarry. 

would not be so.Examples would be where a farmer 

leased a field to an individual or a corporate body 

to extract sand or where a landowner seeks to 

develop his or her land as a quarry but does not 

have the expertise or equipment to do so and he or 

she hires a contractor to work the quarry on his or 

her behalf. 

Where the person entitled to work the quarry 

agrees that someone else will operate the quarry, 

he/she must be satisfied that the proposed operator 

has enough resources to enable the quarry to be 

worked safely, such as enough experienced and, 

where necessary, qualified staff. The agreement 

must be recorded in writing and both parties must 

keep a signed copy. In most cases of this type there 

will be a written contract setting out the agreement 

and this would form a suitable record. Both parties 

must keep signed copies of this agreement whilst it 

remains in force. 

The person entitled to work the quarry must also 

pass to the operator any information relevant to 

working the quarry safely, for example, geological 

information, geotechnical reports, and details of 

previous mine or quarry workings and information 

about minerals or other materials deposited on site. 

In a very small number of cases,such as where there is 

joint ownership of the land, there may be more than 

one person entitled to work the quarry In such cases 

they should either reach agreement that there will be 

one operator in overall control, or the site should be 

clearly divided into clearly defined areas, each area 

being a separate quarry with its own operator. 

The person entitled to work the quarry is the person 

who has legal ownership of the land where the 

quarry is to be worked. As they are the owners they 

have a legal duty in relation to the land and to how 

it is developed and any subsequent reclamation 

works upon completion of extraction work. In most 

cases this person (the owner) will also be the 

operator as described below but in some circumstances, 

where the land is leased out to an individual 

or a corporate body or the quarry is worked on 

behalf of the person entitled to work the quarry this 

12 



3. OPERATOR TO BE APPOINTED BEFORE 

COMMENCEMENT OF QUARRYING 

OPERATIONS (Regulation 7) 

7. No person shall be deployed to carry out 

quarrying operations at a quarry unless an 

operator has been appointed under Regulation 6. 

This in effect means that no person should be 

required to carry out any quarrying related work 

prior to the written appointment of an operator 

who takes charge of all work activity at the quarry. 

This is aimed at ensuring that persons assigned 

work come under the control and responsibility of a 

competent operator. 

The duties imposed on the operator do not relieve 

individual employers of their duty to comply with 

statutory duties. For example, a contractor at a 

quarry supplying and using vehicles for use by his 

or her employees at the quarry still has duties to 

provide and maintain safe plant and equipment and 

safe systems of work under Section 8 of the Safety, 

Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005. However, a 

contractor must also co-operate with the operator 

to ensure that the operator can carry out his or her 

statutory duties and observe the quarry rules and 

safe operating procedures. 

4. NOTIFICATION TO AUTHORITY 


8. 

(1) The operator shall ensure that written notice 

in an approved form is given to the Authority not 

later than 14 days following the occurrence of 

any of the following events in respect of the 

quarry: 

(a) his or her appointment as operator; 

(b) the commencement of quarrying operations; 

(c) the permanent cessation of quarrying 

operations. 

(2) The quarry owner shall, not later than 14 days 

after the appointment of a common operator 

under Regulation 6(5), give written notice of that 

appointment in an approved form to the 

Authority. 

Notification must be sent to the Health and Safety 

Authority within 14 days of: 

The Appointment of an Operator (including a 

change in the name of the appointed operator 

or quarry) 

The Commencement of Quarry Operations 

(such operations to include putting in roads, 

clearing topsoil or building offices or 

workshops); 

The Permanent Cessation of Quarry 

Operations. 

Notification should be posted to or sent by fax 

to the Head Office of the Health and Safety 

Authority (A sample notification form is shown 

in figure 1.) 

On opening a quarry notification must be in writing 

and must include: 

The name, address, telephone and fax number 

of the operator; 

The name and address of the quarry including 

Ordnance Survey grid references; 

The telephone and fax number of the quarry; 

A brief description of the quarry and the 

mineral to be extracted; and 

The date when extraction of minerals is to 

start/finish. 

In addition to notifying the Health and Safety 

Authority when the name of the quarry changes, 

operators should also notify the utility companies 

of any changes. Delays have occurred during 

emergencies when the power to a quarry needed 

to be isolated, but the name for the quarry used by 

the quarry personnel and the electricity supplier 

was different from that notified. 

When a quarry closes, any remaining excavations or 

tips must be left in a safe condition. In the case of 

abandoned tips, the notification needs to include 

the information gathered through geotechnical 

assessments. 



Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Quarries) Regulations 2005 

Figure 1: Notification of Commencement or Abandonment of Quarrying Operations or Change of Operator 

Regulation 8 

NOTIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OR CHANGE OF OPERATOR 

OR 

COMMENCEMENT OR PERMANENT CESSATION OF QUARRYING OPERATIONS 

I hereby give notice of (delete as appropriate) 

Appointment/Change of Operator 

Commencement of Quarrying Operations 

Permanent Cessation of Quarrying Operations 

Name of Person or Company under which 

the business is carried on 

Name of Operator 

Signature of or on behalf of Operator 

Date 

Address 

Telephone Number: 

Fax Number: 

Name of Quarry 

Place where Quarry is situated 

State townland and 

Nearest Post town and 

Ordnance Survey Grid References: 

Date when operations are to Commence/Cease 

or 

Change of Operator is to take affect 

14 



5. GENERAL DUTIES OF OPERATOR 


9. 

(1) The operator shall, so far as is reasonably 

practicable, ensure that - 

(a) the quarry and any machinery, tool or other 

article used at work there are, as appropriate, 

selected, designed, constructed, installed, 

equipped, commissioned, protected, operated 

and maintained in such a way that persons at 

work can perform the work assigned to them 

without endangering the safety, health and 

welfare of themselves or others, 

(b) if any of the articles referred to in 

subparagraph (a) is located in an area of the 

quarry within which risk of fire or explosion 

from ignition of gas, vapour or volatile liquid 

exists, or is likely to exist, that article is - 

(i) suitable for use in that particular area, and 

(ii) if necessary, fitted with suitable protective 

devices and fail-safe systems, 

(c) mechanical equipment and plant at the 

quarry is of adequate strength and free from 

patent defect and suitable for the purpose 

for which it is intended, and 

(d) electrical equipment and plant at the quarry 

is of sufficient capacity for the purpose for 

which it is intended. 

(2) The operator shall ensure, as regards that 

quarry, that - 

(a) work is planned taking into account the 

elements of the safety statement that 

concern the risks of falls, movements or slips 

of ground and, in particular, that - 

(i) the height and slope of overburden 

2 “Competent person” is defined in Section 2(2) of the Safety, 

Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 as follows - 

“(2) (a) For the purposes of the relevant statutory provisions, a 

person is deemed to be a competent person where, having 

regard to the task he or she is required to perform and taking 

account of the size or hazards (or both of them) of the undertaking 

or establishment in which he or she undertakes work, 

the person possesses sufficient training,experience and knowledge 

appropriate to the nature of the work to be undertaken. 

(b) Account shall be taken,as appropriate,for the purposes of 

paragraph (a) of the framework of qualifications referred to 

in the Qualifications (Education and Training) Act 1999.” 

stripping and extraction faces is appropriate 

to the nature and stability of the ground 

and the methods of working, 

(ii) benches and haul roads are stable enough 

for the plant used and are constructed and 

maintained in such a way that plant can be 

moved safely, 

(iii) before the start or restart of work, stripping 

and extraction faces above work areas or 

haul roads are checked for loose ground or 

rocks and scaling is carried out where 

necessary, and 

(iv) faces and tips are not worked in such a way 

that instability is created, 

(b) it is organised so as - 

(i) to provide adequate protection against 

hazards, 

(ii) to be kept in good order, with any hazardous 

substances or deposits removed, and 

(iii) not to endanger the safety and health of 

persons at work, 

(c) workstations are designed and constructed 

according to ergonomic principles taking 

into account the need for persons at work to 

carry out their work safely and without risk 

to health at their workstations, 

(d) a sufficient number of persons with the 

requisite competence to perform the tasks 

assigned to them are present, 

(e) where a workstation is occupied by a person 

on his or her own, the necessary supervision 

or means of communication is provided, and 

(f) in the event of the permanent cessation of 

quarrying operations there, the quarry is left, 

so far as is reasonably practicable, in a safe 

condition. 

The operator is in overall control of the quarry.Most 

of the statutory duties fall on the operator. 

As outlined in Section 2 (the owner) the person 

entitled to work the quarry,if competent ,could and, 

in the majority of cases, would be the operator. In 

any other circumstances,he or she must appoint the 

operator, normally a company, in writing. 

There can only be one operator for each quarry, and 

it is very important that this role is clearly allocated. 



If there are several employers who could be the 

operator, or it is not clear which of them is in overall 

control, then they must agree among themselves 

who will take overall control,or divide the excavation 

into several quarries, each with its own operator. 

It is important that everybody who works at a 

quarry knows who the operator is, who manages 

the quarry and how he or she can be contacted.This 

can be achieved by displaying a notice at a suitable 

place at the quarry setting out the operator’s name, 

the management structure and relevant addresses 

and telephone numbers. 

The quarry operator manages the safety and health 

of all operations to ensure that risks are properly 

controlled in a pro-active and co-ordinated manner. 

The operator has overall responsibility for planning, 

co-ordinating and overseeing all work at the quarry, 

including the work of contractors. The operator 

must ensure that contractors have correctly identified 

hazards and control measures by carrying out 

risk assessments. 

The operator is responsible for any buildings and 

structures at the quarry even if they are temporary. 

The operator is responsible for ensuring that the 

quarry is left in a safe condition following permanent 

cessation of quarrying activities or abandonment. 

The proper planning of a quarry will not eliminate 

all safety and health risks, but it can make a major 

contribution, with priority being given to measures 

that safeguard the maximum number of people. 

6. CONTRACTORS 

(See Sections 7 & 21 of the Safety, 

Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005) 

Irrespective of the duties of the operator each 

contractor at a quarry remains responsible for 

complying with relevant safety and health legislation. 

Contractors may also be legally liable if,by their 

acts or omissions, they cause the operator to 

commit an offence.For the purpose of this guidance 

a contractor can be an employer and/or a selfemployed 

person. 

7. MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE 


10. 

(1) The operator shall establish a management 

structure that includes the appointment of - 

(a) a competent individual as quarry manager to - 

(i) manage the operation of the quarry at all 

times when persons are working in the 

quarry, provided that where the operator is 

an individual and is competent he or she 

may appoint himself or herself, 

(ii) advise the operator as to the observance of 

the requirements of the relevant statutory 

provisions, and 

(iii) exercise a general supervision of the 

observance of those requirements and the 

promotion of the safe conduct of work 

generally, 

(b) persons appointed under Regulation 44, and 

(c) an adequate number of competent persons - 

(i) to enable to the quarry to be operated and 

managed safely and in accordance with the 

safety statement, 

(ii) to supervise persons at the quarry engaged 

in work activities involving serious risk to 

safety and health as identified in the safety 

statement, and 

(iii) to visit occupied workstations at the quarry 

at least once during each shift, where this is 

specified as necessary under the safety 

statement. 

(2) The operator shall ensure that the management 

structure is reviewed regularly and revised where 

necessary and, in particular, if the quarry under 

goes significant changes (including natural 

changes), extensions or conversions. 

(3) The operator shall ensure that each person who 

forms part of the management structure is 

provided with a copy of those parts of the safety 

statement that describe that person’s authority 

and duties. 

The operator must set up a management structure 

that ensures that there are a sufficient number of 

competent people to manage the quarry safely. This 

structure and the competencies required should meet 

the needs identified during the risk assessments and 

16 



planning activities already referred to. It must also 

include any sub-contractors who have significant roles 

in the management of the quarry. The management 

structure must be set out in writing and included in 

the safety statement. 

A competent person must be appointed as quarry 

manager to manage the operation of the quarry at all 

times when work is being undertaken.If the operator 

is a competent individual he or she could also be the 

quarry manager.There is no requirement to notify the 

Authority of the appointment of the quarry manager. 

Arrangements should be in place for cover during 

absences of the quarry manager and other key 

personnel,for example,during sick leave,holiday leave 

etc. Everyone working at the quarry needs to know 

who the manager is. The quarry manager is the 

operator’s representative at the quarry and it is his or 

her role to advise and assist the operator to fulfil all 

legal requirements. The appointment of a quarry 

manager does not take away the legal duty of the 

operator to fulfil his or her statutory functions but 

provides for a point of contact to the contractors,selfemployed 

persons at the quarry and the operator’s 

employees.The quarry manager and other persons in 

the management structure can be held accountable 

for their acts or omissions, or any offence committed 

with their consent, connivance or neglect under the 

Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 (See 

Sections 80 & 81 of that Act). 

The entire workforce needs to understand their responsibilities 

and authority in relation to safety and health. 

They also need to know how their responsibilities interrelate 

with those of others.It is normally best if the key 

responsibilities are summarised in the management 

structure with more detail being provided in the 

individual job descriptions. 

It is particularly important that managers and supervisors 

properly understand their safety and health 

responsibilities and authority. They must also be 

competent to do their job so that others are not put at 

risk. The type and degree of competence will vary 

from quarry to quarry and from job to job. In some 

cases particular qualifications are needed,for example, 

where explosives are used. 

The management structure should include any senior 

managers off-site who are responsible for safety and 

health, as well as managers and supervisors working 

at the quarry. Where the operator is also the quarry 

manager, then the management structure may be 

very simple. In other companies the structure may 

be more complex, but the structure should always 

make it clear where responsibilities lie. 

The management structure must be reviewed 

routinely and,in particular,where the work or people 

change significantly,to ensure that it remains appropriate. 

Operators need to inform the workforce 

about the management structure.The legal responsibility 

for the overall control of the quarry rests on 

the operator and not on an individual manager or 

supervisor appointed to take charge on site – unless 

that individual is the operator. 

A sample management structure for a reasonably 

large quarry operation is shown overleaf in Figure 2 

“Sample management structure”. 



Figure 2: Sample management structure 

HSA STONE PRODUCTS LIMITED ORGANISATION CHART FOR QUARRY 

Key 

Area 

Site 

Managing Director 

‘HSA STONE PRODUCTS Ltd’ 

Reporting line 

Safety Line 

Shared Reporting 

Director HR & Safety 

Production Director 

Director 

Technical Services 

Finance Director 

Company safety Mgr 

Company Aggregates 

Quality Manager 

Concrete Products 

Quality Manager 

Quarry Manager 

Assistant Quarry Manager 

Quarry Foreman 

Stone Processing 

Foreman 

Concrete Plant 

Foreman 

Mobile + Fixed 

Plant Foreman 

Shotfirer 

Processing 

Operatives 

Subject to demarcation 

of quarry 

Mobile Plant 

Operators 

Ready Mix Concrete 

Plant Operatives 

Drilling Contractors 

Safety 

Representative 

Mechanics 

Electrics 

8. SAFETY STATEMENT 


11. 

(1) The operator shall ensure that the safety 

statement, prepared in compliance with section 

20 of the Act, includes details of the - 

(a) management structure referred to in 

Regulation 10 setting out the duties and 

responsibilities of each person in the 

management structure, 

(b) operating procedures and instructions required 

by Regulation 14(a), relating to the safety 

and health of persons at work at the quarry 

(c) 

(d) 

(e) 

(f) 

(g) 

(h) 

in both normal and critical situations there, 

arrangements for the review of safety measures 

in accordance with section 20 of the Act, 

system of permits to work, if required by 

Regulation 15, 

inspection, maintenance and testing schemes 

prepared in accordance with Regulation 19, 

vehicles and traffic rules required by 

Regulation 23, 

instructions required by Regulation 29(c), 

precautions taken to protect against, detect 

and combat the outbreak and spread of fire 

required by Regulation 31, 

18 



(i) arrangements made and the equipment 

and measures necessary to prevent 

explosions required by Regulation 31, 

(j) shotfiring rules made under Regulation 46, 

(k) operating procedures for excavations, tips 

and lagoons required by Regulation 53, 

(l) conclusions of any appraisal, site 

investigation or geotechnical assessment of 

an excavation, tip or lagoon undertaken 

pursuant to Regulations 54 and 55, and 

(m) arrangements for health surveillance 

required by Regulation 63. 

(2) In addition to the matters referred to in 

paragraph (1), the safety statement shall, where 

appropriate, also include - 

(a) a plan detailing the equipment and measures 

required to protect persons at work at 

the quarry from the risk of explosion or fire 

in compliance with Regulations 31 and 32(1), 

(b) where toxic gases are or may be present in 

the atmosphere at the quarry in such concentration 

that the atmosphere may be 

harmful to the health of persons at work, a 

plan detailing the protective equipment and 

measures required to protect persons at work 

at the quarry from the harmful atmosphere 

in compliance with Regulation 32(2), and 

(c) a diagram of the quarry indicating those 

areas to which these Regulations do not 

apply by virtue of Regulation 3(2). 

All quarries are required to have in place a site specific 

safety statement by virtue of Section 20 of the Safety, 

Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, based on an 

identification of hazards and a written risk assessment 

prepared in accordance with Section 19 of the Act.The 

basic purpose of the safety statement is to set out how 

the safety,health and welfare of the employees will be 

secured and managed at the quarry. 

The safety statement should be communicated 

appropriately so that all those on whom it places 

responsibility understand their duties. 

The safety statement should be reviewed to ensure 

it meets all requirements. It should be drawn up 

before the work starts, and in the case of a new 

quarry at the design stage.It should be continuously 

developed to keep it up to date as more is learned 

about the geology of the site, or as management 

systems or working methods change. 

To be of use the safety statement must be a working 

document providing practical information to people 

at the quarry about safety and health measures and 

their role in implementing them. Consultation 

processes and the involvement of the workforce are 

needed to produce an effective document. 

In some cases the safety statement will not be a single 

document, but a collection of documents. Existing 

material does not need to be re-written as long as all 

of the requirements are addressed,and the composite 

document is properly cross-referenced and indexed. 

The document must set out a management structure 

and explain each person’s authority and the 

duties of those in that structure. This needs to 

include relevant off-site staff such as area managers, 

geologists,engineers and surveyors.Where managerial 

responsibilities are given to sub-contracted staff 

they must also be included in the structure. 

The level of detail recorded should be in proportion 

to the degree of risk and complexity of the operations. 

Some quarries probably only need simple 

documentation, while large quarries are likely to 

need something more detailed. 

The document must contain enough information to 

demonstrate that the risks have been properly 

assessed and that adequate measures have been 

taken to safeguard the safety and health of people 

at work at the quarry and others that might be 

affected under normal and abnormal conditions. 

Operators must ensure that all the measures specified 

in the safety statement are taken and that any 

plans are followed in practice.This involves putting 

in place appropriate monitoring arrangements. 

A copy of the safety statement should be held on 

site and must be available to every employer and all 

who work at the quarry,so that they can understand 

the risks and the control measures relating to their 

work. A copy of the whole document need not be 

given to everybody, but everyone needs to have 

copies of those parts that may affect him or her and 

with which they have to comply. 

The safety statement needs to address how information 

is communicated to, and how the impact of 



quarrying operations upon the public,such as those 

living in neighbouring properties, is minimised. It 

should set out procedures for items such as the 

notification of blasts, instruction to drivers on 

respecting speed limits on roads close to the quarry 

entrance. It is unnecessary to bring the contents of 

the safety statement to the attention of the public 

but keeping people informed will assist in 

maintaining good relations with neighbours. 

9. C0-ORDINATED MEASURES 


12. Without prejudice to section 21 of the Act, where 

a common operator has been appointed under 

Regulation 6(5), that operator shall co-ordinate 

the implementation of all measures relating to 

the safety, health and welfare of persons at work 

at the quarry. 

In many quarries some of the work is carried out by 

contractors, such contractors may be large or small 

companies or self-employed individuals. 

Section 21 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work 

Act 2005 requires every employer and self-employed 

person involved in sharing a place of work with another 

employer or self-employed person to co-operate 

in implementing any safety, health, welfare and 

occupational hygiene provisions considered necessary. 

Every employer and self-employed person must 

extend this co-operation to the operator of the quarry. 


Act 2005 extends the duty of care on all employers 

and self-employed persons to carry out their undertaking 

in such a way as to ensure that persons not in 

their employment are not exposed to risks to their 

safety and health. 

Good co-operation and co-ordination is crucial to 

ensuring safety and health and for the operator to 

fulfil his or her duties to: 

compile a safety statement; 

manage the quarry in a co-ordinated way 

which ensures safety and health; and 

ensure that the safety and health arrangements 

described in the safety statement work in practice. 

The development of the safety statement and its 

effective implementation depend on the flow of 

information and co-operation between the 

operator, the contractors and the workforce. 

Contractors are required to notify the Health and 

Safety Authority of any injuries, diseases or 

dangerous occurrences that are reportable under 

the Safety, Health and Welfare (General Application) 

Regulations and they should also bring any such 

notification to the attention of the operator. 

10. SAFETY INDUCTION, COMPETENCE 

AND SKILLS CERTIFICATION 


13. The operator shall ensure that no person shall 

undertake any quarrying operations unless that 

person - 

(a) has received appropriate site-specific safety 

induction instruction, 

(b) is either competent to do that work, or does it 

under the instruction and supervision of some 

other person who is competent to give instruction 

in, and supervise the doing of, that work for the 

purpose of training that person, and 

(c) if engaged in any of the tasks specified in 

Schedule 1, has been issued with and is in 

possession of a current registration card in 

respect of the Quarries Skills Certification Scheme 

Everyone working at a quarry must be competent 

for the work they are required to do. They, and 

their managers, need to know the limits of their 

competence. 

Suitable site specific induction arrangements need 

to be made for all recruits who are new to a site; this 

is particularly important for young persons and 

those who are new to the industry including non- 

Irish nationals who may be unfamiliar with Irish 

quarry work practices and safety signage. 

There is no lead in period in relation to this induction 

training which needs to cover all matters and 

be site-specific.This includes relevant aspects of the 

safety statement, outcome of risk assessments, the 

arrangements for first aid, fire, evacuation and 

blasting procedures. Further training is likely to be 

needed whenever: 

(a) someone takes on substantial new 

responsibilities; or 

20 



(b) there is a significant change in work equipment 

or systems of work. 

A person’s competence will decline if skills are not 

used regularly.Training may,therefore,need to be repeated 

periodically to ensure continued competence 

in the skills that are not often used.Information 

from personal performance, safety and health monitoring, 

accident investigation and near-miss incidents 

can help identify a need for additional training. 

People working at a quarry must not undertake any 

work for which they are not competent – except 

under the careful instruction and supervision of a 

competent instructor or supervisor. Operators of 

equipment and mobile plant as listed in Schedule 1, 

such as loading shovel drivers, or crane operators 

etc, must receive accredited training as detailed in 

the Schedule and a copy of the relevant certificate 

or registration card should be held at the quarry. 

There is a lead in period of 18 months from the date 

of commencement of the regulations for skills 

training set out in Schedule 1. 

A person shall be deemed to be competent where, 

having regard to the task he or she is required to 

perform and taking account either of the size or the 

hazards, or both, of the undertaking or establishment 

in which he or she undertakes work, he or she 

possesses sufficient training, experience and knowledge 

appropriate to the nature of the work to be 

undertaken. 

In short, competency is the ability to apply knowledge, 

understanding, practical and thinking skills to 

achieve efficient and safe performance to the 

standards required in employment. This includes 

solving problems and being sufficiently flexible and 

skilled to meet changing demands. 

Everyone who works at a quarry must be properly 

trained and have appropriate experience and 

knowledge to enable them to do their work safely.A 

few will need other qualities such as management 

or interpersonal skills, or formal qualifications, for 

example, geotechnical specialists, shotfirers and 

explosives supervisors. Management training must, 

where appropriate, include training in safety 

management, risk assessment and developing and 

using safe systems of work. 

The risk assessments and occupational standards 

should help to determine the safety and health 

competencies for particular jobs. By comparing the 

competencies needed against those that people 

already have, managers can determine what 

additional skills are required, and how these can be 

achieved, for example, through training and 

coaching.Care should be taken when using existing 

workers for training.Such training can be useful, but 

may also lead to bad practices and attitudes being 

passed on to a new generation of workers, for 

example, concerning the use of personal protective 

equipment. Safety and health training is an important 

way of developing competence and helps to 

encourage safe working practices. It can contribute 

positively to the safety and health culture, and is 

needed at all levels, including top management. 

Safety representatives selected and appointed in 

accordance with Section 25 of the Safety,Health and 

Welfare at Work Act 2005 must be allowed reasonable 

time off from their duties to acquire knowledge 

and skills to discharge their functions adequately. 

11. INSTRUCTIONS, RULES AND 

OPERATING PROCEDURES 


14. The operator shall - 

(a) ensure that suitable instructions and operating 

procedures are in place at the quarry with a view 

to securing the safe use of work equipment, 

(b) ensure that copies of all instructions, rules and 

operating procedures required to be made under 

these Regulations are kept at the quarry and 

given to any person at work at the quarry to 

whom they apply, and 

(c) take all reasonable measures to ensure that each 

person at work at the quarry understands the 

instructions, rules and operating procedures made 

under these Regulations that apply to that person. 

The operator is required to prepare instructions, rules 

and safe operating procedures. The aims of any rules 

or operating procedures are to ensure the safety and 

health of the quarry workforce and others that may be 

at risk.These rules should be prepared where there is 

a safety and health need,for example,those regarding 

the wearing of safety helmets, and the implementation 

of control measures based on risk assessment. 



Some safety and health Regulations explicitly 

require written rules such as those in relation to the 

use of vehicles, shotfiring operations, etc.. 

All rules need to be communicated to, and understood 

by, those who have need to enforce or follow 

them. 

Safety and health measures need to be systematically 

and routinely monitored and reviewed to ensure they 

are working as intended.They may fail because people 

are unaware of them, are too busy to follow them, or 

don’t consider them to be important. They may also 

fail because the measures are out of date or flawed. 

Such failings will only become evident if the measures 

are regularly reviewed and monitored. Action should 

be taken immediately to remedy any failings which 

have been identified and to ensure that everyone 

follows the safety and health requirements in future. 

The arrangements for review need to address safety 

procedures and current practices, as well as physical 

safeguards. This helps to identify procedures and 

practices that are not effectively controlling a risk.For 

example,a machinery guard which is regularly left off 

may indicate a need to explain the risk, or to modify 

the guarding, the system of work or supervision, to 

ensure that the safe way of working is also the easiest. 

The findings of any review should be used to update 

and revise the safety and health measures. This 

feedback loop ensures continued effectiveness and 

contributes to a progressive improvement in safety 

and health. 

Reviews are likely to be required when equipment or 

working practices change significantly, when new 

technology is introduced and after accidents including 

‘near-misses’. Such incidents provide opportunities to 

identify weaknesses and change peoples’attitudes for 

the better.This opportunity should not be missed.But 

it is also important to identify the causes of an incident 

in any investigation.Learning from experience like this 

is known as reactive monitoring. Although this is very 

important,it is essential that there are also procedures 

for checking the systems and procedures are working 

without waiting for something to go wrong or an 

incident to occur.This is known as active monitoring. 

The operator should advise those who work at the 

quarry of their duty to notify their manager, or some 

other designated person, of any shortcomings in the 

safety and health arrangements, even when no 

immediate danger exists.This provides valuable information 

which contributes to the review process. 

12. PERMITS TO WORK 


15. The operator shall ensure that - 

(a) based on an assessment of the risks, a system of 

permits to work is introduced for the carrying out of - 

(i) hazardous activities, and 

(ii) activities which, when carried out in 

conjunction with other activities, may cause 

serious risks to the safety, health and welfare 

of persons at work, and 

(b) a permit to work referred to in paragraph (a) is 

issued by a competent person before the 

particular activity concerned commences and 

specifies the conditions to be fulfilled and 

protective measures to be taken before, during 

and after the carrying out of the activity. 

A safe system is required for all work activities, but 

particularly for hazardous maintenance activities. A 

large proportion of serious and fatal accidents occur 

during maintenance operations. A permit to work 

system is a formal procedure to ensure that the 

system of work is properly planned and implemented 

for jobs which have a significant risk. 

Permits are most often required for maintenance 

work where normal safeguards cannot be used, or 

where new hazards are introduced by the work. 

They should not generally be used for low-risk 

operations, as this tends to devalue the system. 

A permit to work should not be confused with 

giving someone permission to work on site; nor is it 

an excuse to carry out a task without eliminating 

hazards or minimising risks. Issuing a permit does 

not, by itself, make a task safe.That can be achieved 

only by the diligence of those preparing, supervising 

and carrying out the work. The system does, 

however, provide a formal procedure to determine, 

systematically, what precautions are required, how 

this should be communicated, recorded and 

monitored and how work should be authorised. 

In some high-risk situations, simple systems of work 

such as isolation or locking off procedures are sufficient 

by themselves to ensure safety. Such systems are 

22 



generally appropriate when there is only a single 

source of risk,which can be eliminated by,for example, 

removing a fuse and locking off an electrical isolator 

switch.In more complicated cases,for example,where 

there are several sources of risk or where the risk is 

more severe, such as with high voltage systems, or 

where complex procedures are needed before it is safe 

to start work,a permit to work is usually appropriate. 

The aim of the permit to work system is to ensure that 

the task is carried out in accordance with the carefully 

considered conditions specified in a permit drawn up 

and independently verified by competent individuals. 

As well as setting out the steps which must be taken 

before and during the task, permits should state any 

conditions to be met after the work is completed,i.e., 

the procedure for handing back the plant or area in a 

safe condition for normal operations. 

The Permit to Work System 

Permits to work are required whenever there is a 

significant risk to safety and health during an operation, 

and where precise preparation of the site or 

plant and clear, unambiguous communications of 

procedures is needed to control the risk.A permit to 

work system should set out: 

(a) what work requires permits; 

(b) who is authorised to issue and accept permits, 

including any limitations to their authority; 

(c) how the safety of a proposed system of work 

and any risks it might create for others is 

checked (this may include cross referencing 

with other permits); 

(d) how information about the hazards and the 

work to be carried out is communicated; 

(e) the maximum time a permit may be valid; 

(f ) hand-over arrangements if work involves more 

than one team, e.g. over a shift change; 

(g) the hand-back/suspension arrangements in 

cases where: 

(i) the permit is found to be flawed or unsuitable 

– for example because assumptions 

upon which it was based are incorrect; 

(ii) more time is needed to carry out the work 

than the permit allows; 

(h) arrangements for the display of the permit at 

the work site; 

(i) arrangements for hand-over on completion of 

work; and 

(j) arrangements for monitoring and revising the 

system and its operation. 

Examples of work at a quarry that may require a 

permit include: 

entry into confined spaces or other high risk areas; 

entry into machinery where isolation or 

locking-off procedures are insufficient to 

ensure the safety of workers; and 

work on high voltage systems. 

Issuing a Permit 

Two people are responsible for each permit: the 

person issuing the permit (normally the manager 

responsible for the plant or location where the work 

is to be performed) and the person accepting it.These 

two people should independently consider the risks 

and precautions, as this substantially reduces the 

chance of overlooking important issues. Expert 

advice may also be required to identify the hazards 

and risks and to decide what precautions are 

required. Such experts must have sufficient experience 

and knowledge to carry out their tasks properly. 

Communication and training 

All staff involved with permits to work need to 

understand the hazards and the controls taken to 

reduce the risks.This cannot be achieved by simply 

giving everyone a copy of the permit. There needs 

to be appropriate formal briefing to ensure that 

everyone understands exactly what is required and 

why. The use of plans and diagrams may help with 

some work.Those involved also need to know when 

work covered by the permit begins and whether 

there are any time constraints. 

Monitoring 

Suitable arrangements for monitoring the operation 

of the permit to work system are essential. They 

typically involve testing a sample of permits to 

ensure that they are completely correct and that the 

precautions are appropriate to protect people from 

risk and that they were followed in practice. 

13. DUTIES OF PERSONS AT WORK 


16. Every person at work to which these Regulations 

apply shall - 

(a) comply with all applicable instructions and rules 



and operating procedures, and 

(b) show his or her registration card when requested 

by the person’s employer, the operator, or if 

applicable, the common operator. 

This should be read in conjunction with Sections 

13 and 14 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work 

Act 2005. 

Safety and health at work can only be achieved if 

everyone understands that their safety and the lives 

of others are in their hands. All those working at the 

quarry have a part to play, and are required to carry 

out their duties with reasonable care and comply 

with all relevant rules and regulations. 

Anyone who identifies a significant risk,for example, 

because procedures or rules are not followed or 

where safeguards are missing or inadequate, must 

take appropriate action, normally by reporting it to 

a supervisor. Any reports of such defects and 

remedial actions taken should be recorded on the 

daily inspection sheet. 

14. CONSULTATION 


17. Every operator and employer at a quarry shall 

consult at the quarry with their safety representatives 

and employees, as the case may be, in relation to the 

requirements of these Regulations and section 26 of 

the Act, taking account of the need, whenever necessary, 

for co-operation and co-ordination among - 

(a) operators and employers, 

(b) employees and other persons at work, and 

(c) the safety representatives, 

in order to promote and develop measures for 

protecting the safety, health and welfare of persons 

at work at the quarry and to monitor the effectiveness 

of such measures. 

This should be read in conjunction with Sections 

25 and 26 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work 

Act 2005. 

The involvement of the entire workforce in identifying 

and controlling risks is crucial to the reduction 

of the high accident/incident rate associated with 

quarrying.The establishment of active safety representation 

and/or a safety committee is a highly 

effective way of encouraging the co-operation and 

participation of the whole workforce in the safe 

management of the quarry and to improve 

standards of safety and health.To be successful, the 

safety representative and/or the committee must be 

seen by all parties as being effective. 

Safety representatives and/or committee members 

should have suitable practical experience of quarry 

work, and may represent any section, or in the case 

of a committee, a representative cross section of the 

workforce at the quarry. Whilst a safety representative 

may be adequate for some locations others may 

require a committee covering the whole quarry or a 

small group of quarries to be successful. In a small 

quarry the committee may involve every member 

of the workforce. 

Site inspections 

Site inspections provide a way in which the workforce 

can be actively involved in practical site safety.Their 

detailed knowledge of the site and working practices 

can lead to significant improvements in safety and 

health. Site inspections may involve independent 

inspections by management and/or safety representatives. 

Inspections are best carried out jointly by a 

team representing the management and those 

working in the quarry including their elected safety 

representatives. Findings should be discussed and 

minuted at safety committee meetings. 

Encouraging active participation 

The team approach to safety and health can also be 

fostered by actively involving people in managing 

the hazards associated with their work.For example, 

it is best to include those affected when developing 

new systems; their involvement in equipment trials 

helps identify the best solution. 

Discharging functions as a safety representative 

Safety representatives selected and appointed in 

accordance with Section 25 of the Safety,Health and 

Welfare at Work Act 2005 must be allowed reasonable 

time off from their duties to acquire the knowledge 

necessary and/or discharge their functions as a 

safety representative without loss of remuneration. 

24 



15. RECORD KEEPING 


18. 

(1) The operator shall ensure that - 

(a) every report, notification or other record required 

to be made under these Regulations 

is in an approved, or otherwise appropriate, 

form and kept at the quarry or other suitable 

place, but when quarrying operations 

have permanently ceased at the quarry the 

record shall be kept - 

(i) at the registered office of the operator, or 

(ii) where the operator is an individual, at his or 

her place of business for a period of 6 years, 

unless the provision concerned imposes a 

different period, and 

(b) a copy of the written statement of duties of 

all persons appointed at the quarry under 

these Regulations is kept at the quarry or 

other suitable place for at least one year 

from the date of termination of the person’s 

employment. 

(2) Subject to paragraph (1), where under these 

Regulations records, reports, or other documents 

are required to be made, it is sufficient 

compliance with the requirement if the operator 

and, where appropriate, other person concerned - 

(a) make and maintain the record, report or 

other document by electronic means, and 

(b) duly authenticate it as soon as is practicable 

afterwards. 

(3) Without prejudice to section 64 of the Act, any 

person having custody of the records required by 

the Act or these Regulations shall - 

(a) ensure that the records are open to 

inspection by an inspector, and 

(b) forthwith send to an inspector such extracts 

from them or copies of them as the 

inspector may from time to time require in 

accordance with section 64 of the Act. 

The information contained in records required to be 

kept by the quarry operator must be kept available 

for six years.This provides data from which operators 

can identify and monitor trends and make judgements, 

for example, about plant maintenance. The 

retention of records also enables them to be 

examined by Health and Safety Authority Inspectors. 

The way in which records are made and stored is left 

to the discretion of the operator, but the information 

needs to be stored accurately and to be easily 

retrievable.Records may be kept electronically (with 

suitable back up arrangements) or on paper. 

The records may be kept at the quarry or other 

suitable place,provided that anyone who has a right 

to see them can readily obtain them,for example,by 

electronic transmission. Records required include: 

Notifications to the Authority required by these 

regulations 

Daily and periodic inspection records; 

Examinations for flammable/explosive 

atmospheres; 

Appointments of 

1. Quarry manager; 

2. Manager, supervisors, etc; 

3. Explosives supervisors; 

4. Shotfirers, storekeepers, etc. 

Blasting specifications, including drilling logs, 

and any face profile results; 

Any misfires including details of remedial 

action taken; 

The conclusion of geotechnical appraisals, site 

investigations and assessments; 

Reports of thorough examination of any lifting 

gear or lifting appliance; 

Reports of thorough examination of any 

compressor, air receiver or steam boiler; 

Results of vehicle brake tests; 

Records of inspection and maintenance of 

equipment; 

Copies of any relevant certificate or registration 

card issued by a recognised bodies for any 

person operating equipment or carrying out 

operations listed in Schedule 1 to the 

Regulations; 

Certification of inspection of electrical 

installations; 

Copies of permit to work documentation. 

Other documents are also required which are to be 

included in the safety statement such as the 

management structure, instructions, rules and safe 

operating procedures, shotfiring rules, vehicle rules, 

and emergency procedures. These are required to 

be available and up to date. 


PART 3 

GENERAL SAFETY PROVISIONS 

16. INSPECTION, MAINTENANCE 

AND TESTING 


19. 

(1) The operator shall, with a view to securing, so far 

as is reasonably practicable, the safety, health 

and welfare of persons at work in the quarry - 

(a) prepare and keep up to date suitable 

schemes for the systematic inspection, 

maintenance and, where appropriate, 

testing of - 

(i) all parts of the quarry, 

(ii) all buildings (whether temporary or 

permanent) at the quarry, and 

(iii) any plant and work equipment at the quarry, 

(b) ensure that suitable records are made of 

inspections, maintenance and tests carried 

out in pursuance of subparagraph (a) and 

that each such record lists any significant 

defects and the steps taken, or to be taken, to 

remedy them and is - 

(i) signed by the person making it, and 

(ii) countersigned by an appropriate person in 

the management structure under 

Regulation 10, and 

(c) ensure that a sufficient number of 

competent persons are appointed to 

undertake the activities referred to in 

subparagraphs (a) and (b). 

(2) Without prejudice to the generality of 

subparagraphs (1)(a) and (b), the scheme shall 

specify that on every working day - 

(a) the faces above every workstation at the 

quarry and every road used by persons at 

work at the quarry for the purpose of their 

work or of getting to or from their place of 

work are inspected for loose ground or loose 

rocks, 

(b) faces, sides and any overburdens of the 

quarry that may cause danger at any place 

(including any road) are inspected, 

(c) all external parts of all machinery and all 

appliances forming part of the equipment of 

the quarry are inspected, and 

(d) where, during an inspection under subparagraph 

(a) or (b), conditions are observed 

that constitute a significant hazard, or a 

potential significant hazard, the provisions 

of Regulation 54 are carried out. 

(3) The operator shall ensure that appropriate 

remedial measures are taken following an 

inspection under this Regulation. 

(4) The operator shall ensure that a record is made of 

each inspection carried out under paragraph (2) 

and the appropriate remedial measures taken 

under paragraph (3). 

(5) In this Regulation “inspection” means such visual 

or more rigorous inspection by a competent 

person as is appropriate for the purpose. 

A scheme is required for the inspection and maintenance 

of the whole quarry and its plant. The 

operator should design and implement a site 

specific inspection scheme for all parts of the quarry. 

The scheme should include all, roads, excavations, 

overburden, bunding, edge protection, tips and 

lagoons, along with any buildings and work equipment. 

The focus should be on identifying dangerous 

or potentially dangerous situations and correcting 

them before incidents occur.The inspection scheme 

should also take account of the inspection and 

maintenance schemes for periodic thorough examination 

required by other legislation and not as a 

substitute for them. 

Work equipment being brought onto site from 

another location should be accompanied by 

evidence that it has been properly inspected and is 

safe for use. The scheme will be sufficient if these 

records are checked at appropriate intervals as long 

as they are found to be satisfactory. 

An inspection may vary from a simple visual inspection 

to a thorough examination, involving some 

dismantling and/or testing.The level of detail needs 

to be sufficient to ensure that no one is likely to be 

put at risk.Where a visual examination is adequate for 

this purpose, dismantling or testing is not required. 

The scheme needs to particularly target those areas 

26 


PART 3 


of the quarry and its plant which are liable to create 

significant risks, including off-site risks, if conditions 

deteriorate. (Off-site risks are risks affecting areas 

outside the quarry boundary such as dwellings, 

schools, roads or other places of work arising from 

quarrying operations or geological failures such as 

potential instability of tips, lagoons and stockpiles, 

and dangers from blasting operations.) These areas 

should have been identified in the safety statement 

as a result of hazard identification, risk assessments, 

and geotechnical appraisals or assessments. 

The detail of the scheme for the quarry will also 

depend on the work activities, the nature of the 

materials, face and tip heights and weather conditions. 

For example, periods of heavy rain may result 

in loose materials, failures of tips and faces, and 

roads being washed away. 

The scheme needs to include information on the 

frequency and level of detail of inspection, and the 

experience and any qualifications required by the 

people involved.It should, where necessary, include 

practical advice as to what defects are significant 

and on action to be taken if defects are found, 

particularly in cases of imminent risk. It is particularly 

important that the scheme covers: 

(a) vehicles; 

(b) machinery guarding; 

(c) safety devices such as reversing aids, interlocks 

and trip wires and emergency equipment; 

(d) quarry electrical equipment; 

(e) pressure systems including air receivers on 

vehicles; 

(f ) pedestrian routes, roadways and edge 

protection; 

(g) excavations, tips and lagoons; 

(h) buildings or other structures where a 

significant reduction in the structural integrity, 

for example by corrosion, decay, overloading or 

impact damage, is foreseeable; 

(i) any barriers that are required around the 

quarry; and 

(j) any equipment required to carry out shotfiring 

operations. 

It is likely that the scheme will take the form of a 

general inspection to which more detailed schedules 

for different types of plant and areas are 

attached. 

Faces above working places must be inspected to 

ensure that loose ground or rocks do not create 

significant risks. In other cases where the risk of 

deterioration is high,inspection will also be required 

at least once per shift.These inspections may identify 

a need for maintenance work, such as scaling, or 

influence the frequency of future inspections. 

In all cases, the frequency of inspection needs to be 

reviewed in the light of experience but a daily 

inspection must be carried out by a competent 

person and a record of each daily inspection made. 

The daily inspection must include the inspection of: 

Working quarry faces, sides and overburden; 

Every road used by persons at work are to be 

inspected for loose ground or loose rock; and 

All external parts of all machinery and 

appliances. 

There is no generic record form for daily inspections 

and one must be prepared according to the operations 

carried out at the quarry or at least in line with 

company procedures but it must at least address 

the matters listed above.A sample inspection record 

is shown overleaf: 


PART 3 


Figure 3: Sample Daily Inspection Record for a Quarry 

QUARRY DAILY INSPECTION DATE WEATHER 

Area Condition of Face Comments 

West Face Some loose at upper part of face From last blast (01/05/08), to push down with 

excavator today. 

East Face Good – No Loose Not worked for 2 Months 

South Face OK Drilling to commence today, holes position marked up 

Condition of Haul Road 

West Haul Road Requires improvement on Ramp Height of Edge Protection to be raised with scalpings - 

Ongoing 

East Haul Road OK Direction Arrow Signs to be installed, on Order 

South Haul Road Some Potholes to be filled Ongoing 

Observations 

Mobile Plant Reversing Siren not working Electrician to check out 

on Articulated Dumptruck 

Idler Roller guard missing 

on Mobile Crusher 

Fitter making new guard 

Fixed Plant Checked all Pull-wires OK Checked all Pull-wires OK 

All Guards in place 

All Guards in place 

Other Matters 

John Smith attending Excavator Driver Training Today 

Person making this report & position; 

Signature; 

A. Foreman Asst Quarry Manager A Foreman 

28 


PART 3 


16.1 Imminent Risks 

If an imminent risk of serious injury is discovered 

during an inspection, the scheme must require 

immediate action to safeguard those at risk. This 

may include, for example, suspension of work in the 

area or the taking of an item of plant out of use. 

Situations where such action is likely to be appropriate 

include: 

loose ground or overhanging rocks above a 

loading point, roadway or workplace; 

a vehicle with inefficient brakes or faulty 

steering; 

missing edge protection on roads, benches, 

ramps and tipping points; 

machinery with missing guards or faulty safety 

devices, etc. 

Figure 4: Crushed by Face Collapse 

any third party periodic inspections carried out, for 

example, by an insurance engineer, an electrician, 

etc. 

Records must show when the inspection was 

carried out, details of any significant defects found 

and any remedial action taken. Significant defects 

are those which: 

create a significant risk; or 

may indicate the existence of a significant 

design or maintenance problem. 

The report must be signed by the person making it, 

and countersigned by an appropriate manager or 

supervisor. This needs to be someone who can 

judge whether proposed remedial measures are 

appropriate and authorise them. Types of defect 

which need to be brought to the personal attention 

of the quarry manager, or other designated person, 

should be identified in the scheme. 

Sometimes equipment is inspected by, or on behalf 

of, the operator although it belongs to another 

person, for example, a hire company or a contractor. 

In such cases, the owner of the equipment should 

be informed of any defects found. 

Anyone who notices a hazard related to the condition 

of the quarry or its equipment should bring it to 

the attention of the supervisor or manager without 

unreasonable delay. 

A sample checklist and report form is shown 

overleaf at Figure 5. It is a model which should be 

tailored to the needs of a particular quarry. It is not 

intended to be used exclusively as it is presented. 

16.2 Records of Inspection and 

Maintenance 

Records, which may be computerised with digital 

signatures, should be kept for all inspections, unless 

this would involve disproportionate effort, for 

example, where small tools are inspected by their 

user before use and the time taken to carry out the 

inspections is less than the time to record it. 

Records will always be required, however, where 

significant defects are found, unless the tool is 

immediately scrapped. Records are also required for 


PART 3 


Figure 5: Sample inspection form for periodic inspection 

Quarry Weather Last Inspected Date 

Condition of excavated face/tip/lagoon Feature observed Details of condition and location 

Crests Yes No Details 

Lowering of ground surface at or behind the 

crest of the overall slope/bench 

Cracking behind the crest of the overall 

slope/bench 

Water running over the crest of the overall 

slope/bench 

Water entering cracks behind the crest of 

the overall slope/bench 

Surcharching of ground behind the crest 

of the overall slope/bench 

Face Yes No Details 

Bulging at the slope face 

Settlement of the slope face 

Displacement across joints/bedding planes etc 

Open structural features inclined 

> 10 degrees out of the face 

Open structural features inclined steeply 

> 70 degrees out of the face 

Loose material on the face 

Irregular slope gradient 

Irregularities in plan of the slope face 

Water issuing from the face 

Drainage blankets blocked 

Toe Yes No Detail 

Ground movements at or in front of the 

toe of the overall slope/bench 

Water issuing from or in front of the toe 


New accumulation of water at the toe 


Excavations at or near toe of structure 

not as per design of quarry/tip 

Water courses/lagoons behind crest Yes No Details 

Wave erosion of embankment/bank erosion 

Inflow, outflow or storm overflow impeded. 

Is freeboard less than specified in the 

tipping rules 

Signs of damage due to animals 

Escape of material in suspension or solution 

Indications of silting 

Impending or partial blockages 

30 


PART 3 


Site Weather Last Inspected Date 

Condition of excavated face/tip/lagoon Feature observed Details of condition and location 

Other observations Yes No Details 

Adverse drainage from access roads 

Indication of recent ground movements 

Construction varying from plan or 

tipping rules 

Instruments damaged, recording 

movements or rises in water level 

Recent or active rockfall 

Recent or active slope failures 

Unexpected geological conditions 

appeared since last inspection. 

Other changes in slope condition 

or features of note. 

Indications of burning 

Variations from design 

Benches and haul roads Yes No Detail 

Are the benches and haul roads stable 

and without signs of failure. 

Any changes in the quarry geology or 

slope conditions affecting stability 

Are haul roads of adequate width 

and safe gradient? 

Are there excessive ruts, potholes or bumps? 

Is edge protection adequate? 

Has the approved excavation procedure 

been followed? 

Are quarry loading areas of adequate size 

Comments 

Action required 

Safety and stability of the excavated slopes/tips 

Recommendations for immediate action 

Signed……………………………………………………… 

Recommendations agreed or varied 

Date…………………………. 

Signed………………………………………………………. 

Action taken to remedy defects 

Date………………………… 

Signed………………………………………………………. 

Quarry Manager 


PART 3 


17. SAFETY EQUIPMENT 


20. The operator shall ensure that adequate safety 

equipment is maintained, ready for use and in good 

working order at all times and such maintenance is 

undertaken with due regard to ongoing activities. 

This is a general requirement on employers to 

provide and maintain safety equipment that may be 

needed by employees in the course of their normal 

work and/or during work involved in adjustments 

or maintenance. 

A particular example would be; ensuring safe access 

when working at a height. Where for instance an 

employee has to work at a height a safe means of 

access such as stairs, ladders or other means should 

be provided.The means of access must be of sound 

construction,properly maintained and securely fixed. 

However such safe means of access may not always 

be in place and other equipment may be required. 

Where safety equipment such as harnesses and fall 

arrest devices are used, secure anchorage points 

must be provided, safety lines should be short 

enough to prevent injury from falls. Arrangements 

must be put in place to ensure that such safety 

equipment is readily available and used when 

required. Safety equipment must be properly 

maintained and stored for future use. 

18. BENCHES AND HAUL ROADS 


21. The operator shall ensure, so far as is reasonably 

practicable, that - 

(a) benches and haul roads are designed, 

constructed and maintained so as to allow 

vehicles and plant to be used and moved upon 

them safely, and 

(b) where there is a risk of vehicles or plant 

accidentally leaving any bench or haul road, 

adequate precautions are taken by the installation 

of barriers or otherwise to control such risks. 

be able to move safely and without risk of accidentally 

leaving the bench or from any instability of the 

face or bench. The operator also needs to consider 

the effect of vibration on the bench or haul road 

from the use of any explosives.The minimum width 

of a haul road is dependent on the width of the 

largest vehicle that passes along it and if there is to 

be single or two-way traffic. Recommended haul 

road widths are given below, however it is accepted 

that these may not be always achievable in some 

instances. 

Figure 6: 

Recommended haul road width 

(single vehicle). 

6 ft 12 ft 

6 ft 

Two Times 

First identify the width of the widest vehicle that will use 

that road. For example, this one is 12 feet (3.7 metres) wide. 

If we want a one-lane road we begin with 12 feet (3.7 

metres) for that lane. Now to make that lane safe we would 

add half of the width of the truck, in this example 6 feet (1.85 

metres), for an open area on each side of the 12-foot (3.7 

metres) lane.This results in a 24-foot (7.4 metres)-wide lane. 

So the recommended width for one lane of traffic is twice 

the width of the widest 

The proper design of benches and haul roads is 

essential.They must be suitable for the type and size 

of machinery and loads used on them.Vehicles must 

32 


PART 3 


Figure 7: 

Recommended haul road width 

(two-way traffic) 

Figure 9: Grade as an angle 

10 o Slope 

6 ft 12 ft 

6 ft 

Two Times 

12 ft 6 ft 

10 o Angle = Slope in Degrees 

Three and one / half Times 

Now if we have traffic going both ways (as we usually do) 

we would take the width of the widest vehicle, and have a 

lane for it. Again we would have 6 feet (1.85 metres) on each 

side for a 12-foot (3.7 metres)-wide vehicle. Now the area in 

the middle, 6 feet (1.85 metres) in this circumstance, can be 

shared. So for a two lane road you would have to have a 

road 3½ times the width of the widest vehicle (42 feet (12.9 

metres) wide in this case). 

The minimum width of the bench, and the type of 

machinery,which can be safely used on it,should be 

considered during the design, appraisal and where 

appropriate, the geotechnical assessment of the 

excavation, tip or lagoon. They should be reviewed 

as the working methods and the excavation, tip or 

lagoon develop. Benches need to be wide enough 

for the type and volume of traffic using them and 

take account of the traffic systems in force, for 

example, one-way systems. 

Benches and haul roads must be designed to avoid 

dangerous sharp bends and gradients. They must 

also be maintained so that they do not develop 

bumps, ruts or potholes that may make vehicles 

Figure 8: Grade as a percentage 

difficult to control or cause health problems due to 

whole-body vibration.The maximum gradient upon 

which vehicles can operate should be specified by 

the 1 supplier but is also dependent on maintenance, 

the quality of the haul roads,the weather conditions 

and the condition of the braking system. As a rule 

of thumb, and to avoid excessive wear on vehicles, 

the grade should P not exceed 10% (1 in 10) except 

for short periods. 

Figure 10: Comparison percent v degrees 

Percent Vs Degrees 

1.0 0.6 

5.0 3.0 

10.0 5.7 

15.0 8.5 

17.06 10.0 

20.0 11.0 

Figure 11: Excessive gradients 

10% Slope 

X Percent Slope 

X ft 

10’ 

26% 

100 ft 


PART 3 


19. SAFEGUARDING EDGES OF EXCAVATIONS 

AND LAGOONS (Regulation 22) 

22. The operator - 

(a) shall ensure that material is not placed or stacked 

at the quarry near the edge of any excavation or 

lagoon, where it is likely to endanger persons at 

work, 

(b) shall not at the quarry - 

(i) place or move, or 

(ii) allow to be placed or moved, 

any load, vehicle, plant or equipment near the 

edge of any excavation or lagoon where it is likely 

to cause a collapse of the side of the excavation 

or lagoon and thereby endanger any person at 

work, and 

(c) where necessary, shall ensure that appropriate 

barriers are provided. 

Adequate edge protection must be provided where 

there is a drop, the potential for edge failure, a 

lagoon or other hazard which would put the driver, 

or others, at significant risk if the vehicle left the 

bench or roadway.The aim of the edge protection is 

to stop the largest, fully loaded vehicle crossing it 

when travelling at the maximum foreseeable speed 

and it should be constructed with this in mind. 

Edge protection may consist of purpose-made crash 

barriers or suitable bunds made from quarried 

material, for example oversize rock and scalpings. 

Materials placed or stacked at the edge of excavations 

or lagoons should not endanger the safety of 

persons at work. 

On benches or roads used by heavy vehicles the 

minimum acceptable height of the edge protection 

Figure 12: Vehicle over running an edge 

is 1.5 metres or the radius of the largest wheel/tyre 

– whichever is the greater. Additional protection is 

needed in high-risk areas, such as sharp bends or 

steep haul roads, where sand traps or other means 

should also be considered. 

Bunds can deteriorate due to weathering and so 

must be properly inspected in accordance with 

section 16 of this guidance. Where necessary to 

ensure the drainage of surface water, gaps may be 

left in the bunds, or other drainage systems 

provided. Any gaps must not be wide enough to 

allow a vehicle to pass through. 

Edge protection less than either 1.5 metres or the 

radius of the vehicle wheel or with sloping sides, 

makes an ideal ramp for a vehicle to run over and is 

totally ineffective. Blocks of stone or oversize rocks 

placed on their own along the edge of a bench, 

ramp or roadway,which may be easily pushed out of 

the way by a vehicle at speed, are not suitable for 

edge protection. 

A bank of unconsolidated material like scalpings is 

suitable if it is big enough to allow the vehicles 

momentum to be absorbed.The impact face needs 

to be as vertical as possible and at least 1.5 metres 

or the radius of the largest wheel/tyre. 

Rocks can be used if they can safely absorb the 

impact,for example,by heaping materials like scalpings 

between and behind the rocks to provide an 

adequate barrier. A violent stop due to impact 

would, of course, increase the risk to the driver, and 

of damage to the vehicle and so should be avoided. 

Figures 13,14,15,16: Edge protection for vehicles at 

quarries 

Figure 13: 

Edge protection less than 1.5 metres or the radius of 

the largest vehicle 

X 

34 


PART 3 


Figure 14: 

Boulders or blocks of stone used as edge protection 

that can be easily pushed aside 

Figure 15: 

Consolidated bank of material large enough to 

absorb a vehicles momentum 

X 

Figure 16: 

Rocks with heapings of scalpings between 

and behind the rocks 

√ 

√ 

20. VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC RULES 


23. 

(1) The operator shall make suitable vehicle and 

traffic rules in order to prevent, as far as reasonably 

practicable, the risks to persons arising from 

the use of vehicles at the quarry, including where 

machines or vehicles enter or leave the quarry. 

(2) The operator shall ensure that transport vehicles, 

earth-moving machinery, materials-handling 

machinery and locomotives used at the quarry, 

including those operated by another employer at 

the quarry - 

(a) are of good design and construction taking 

into account as far as possible ergonomic 

principles, 

(b) are maintained in good working order, 

(c) are properly used, 

(d) are not operated otherwise than by - 

(i) a competent person who has attained the 

age of 18 years, or 

(ii) a person of 16 or 17 years under the close 

personal supervision of a competent person 

for the purpose of his or her training, and 

(e) have, as appropriate, auxiliary devices as 

specified in Schedule 2 installed to improve 

visibility. 

A large number of people have been killed both in 

Ireland and throughout the world in transport related 

accidents at quarries and many of these involve 

reversing or moving vehicles. It is, therefore, vitally 

important that the hazards associated with vehicles 

are identified and the risks controlled. Good, well 

enforced, vehicle rules can make a significant contribution 

to reducing deaths and injuries at quarries. 

The procedures must deal with site management of 

all vehicles and mobile machinery on site; rules, 

which only cover instructions for drivers, are not 

sufficient. The rules must cover contractors’ and 

private vehicles as well as railway trains on private 

railways or sidings within the quarry. 

The rules and procedures should be brought to the 

attention of those affected by them and reviewed 

as necessary. The rules should be set out in a way, 

which takes account of how risks vary from one part 


PART 3 


of the quarry to another. For example, rules for the 

excavation area might be irrelevant elsewhere and 

some vehicles may be banned from certain areas.In 

particular the rules need to cover: 

(a) how drivers are to be assessed for competence, 

and authorised to operate vehicles; 

(b) security arrangements, including control of keys; 

(c) any restrictions on where vehicles may be used, 

for example, due to height, width, gradient; 

(d) Any restrictions on reversing; 

(e) Speed limits; 

(f ) Restrictions on traffic routes, for example, 

one-way arrangements; 

(g) Pedestrian safety; 

(h) Fitting and use of safety devices, including 

visibility aids, e.g. mirrors, CCTV, radar, lights, etc.; 

(i) Use of vehicles in adverse conditions, for 

example, fog, rain, mud, ice, etc.; 

(j) Precautions where quarry vehicles or trailers 

with tipping bodies or tipping gear are loaded, 

unloaded or sheeted; 

(k) Instructions to drivers concerning the 

reporting of defects; 

(l) Relevant cross-references to the scheme for 

inspection and maintenance of plant; and 

(m)The wearing of PPE and the use of suitable 

seat belts. 

Vehicle safety in quarries 

A multi-faceted approach is needed to significantly 

reduce the level of transport accidents in quarries 

and it must address all the risk factors involved as 

illustrated in the diagram below. 

Figure 17: Responsibilities for ensuring safe operation 

of vehicles 

Safe Workplace 

The key elements in improving vehicle safety are: 

designing the workplace to minimise the 

hazard; 

using vehicles which are suitable, and well 

maintained; 

establishing and following safe driving and 

working practices; 

trained, skilled and responsible drivers. 

These issues can only be addressed if all parties 

involved co-operate in identifying and controlling 

hazards. 

Safe Vehicles 

Vehicles must be suitable for the place in which they 

are to be used and for the work they undertake. The 

selection of suitable work equipment can reduce or 

eliminate many risks at the quarry.It is generally much 

easier and cheaper to start with the right equipment 

than to modify it later. The following are important 

factors to consider when choosing a vehicle: 

Figure 18: Unsafe tipping points 

Figure 19: Safe tipping point 

Operator 

Vehicle Rules 

Maintenance Scheme 

Drivers Site 

Management 

Safe driving and work practices 

Hauliers Suppliers 

Management 

Safe vehicles 

36 


PART 3 


Figure 20: Excavator with falling object protection 

provided 

(a) The effectiveness of the braking system and 

engine torch, bearing in mind the slopes it is 

expected to operate on; 

(b) Adequate all round visibility for the driver; 

(c) Stability under all foreseeable operating 

conditions; 

(d) Protection for the driver and any passengers 

from falling objects (falling object protective 

structure) and overturning (roll-over protective 

structures and restraining devices); 

(e) Safe access to and from the cab and other 

areas to which access may be required; 

(f ) Lights, windscreen wipers, horn and other 

warning devices; 

(g) Guarding of dangerous parts during use or 

maintenance work; 

(h) Protection for the drivers and any passengers 

from rain, high or low temperatures, noise, dust 

or vibration; 

(i) Suitable seating for the driver and any 

passengers; and 

(j) Adequate seatbelts or restraining devices for 

drivers and passengers. 

Visibility 

To manoeuvre safely the driver needs to be able to 

see all around the vehicle or to be automatically 

warned if there is a person or object in the danger 

area. Vehicles should be designed to provide 

adequate visibility and be fitted with windows 

(including side windows), mirrors, closed circuit TV 

and sensing equipment as appropriate. 

Many vehicles have substantial blind spots not only 

immediately behind the vehicle, but also alongside 

and immediately in front of it. Accidents occur when 

vehicles move off or turn while a pedestrian or vehicle 

is passing in blind spots. How to avoid these blind 

spots is illustrated in figures 21 and 22 below. 

Figure 21: Improved all round visibility provided 

by CCTV system 

Standard 

mirrors 

Convex 

mirrors 

cctv 

monitor in 

cab provides 

visibilty at 

rear 

Figure 22: Photomontage of a large dumper 

truck fitted with CCTV and mirrors to improve 

visibility from the driving position 

cctv camera 

on the vehicle 

for the driver 

Pedestrian cannot 

be seen by driver 

Standard mirrors 

and no cctv camera 

Driver’s area of rear 

visibilty theoretically 

covered by visiblity 

aids 

Pedestrian visible 

in cctv monitor 

Convex mirrors and cctv 

camera and monitor 


PART 3 


Even when the driver’s visibility is considered 

adequate, pedestrians should,so far as is reasonably 

practicable, be kept out of the area where vehicles 

operate. 

Significantly smaller vehicles may be at risk of being 

crushed. Like pedestrians, they should ideally be 

kept away from areas where large vehicles operate. 

If this cannot be achieved small quarry vehicles 

should be painted with distinctive colours, fitted 

with flashing lights or otherwise made readily 

visible to drivers of other vehicles. 

Restraining Systems 

Many injuries are the result of vehicles overturning. 

All drivers and passengers, when reasonably practicable, 

should wear appropriate seat belts and, if 

necessary, the wearing of such seat belts should be 

required by the Quarry’s Vehicle rules. 

Seats 

Vehicle seats should be maintained and adjusted to 

minimise the adverse affects of whole-body vibration 

on the driver, particularly where vehicles are 

used on rough terrain. Vehicle seats will generally 

not last as long as the vehicle itself and will need to 

be replaced a number of times during the lifetime of 

the machine. 

Maintenance 

(a) Brake Testing 

A suitable inspection scheme should be in place to 

ensure brakes are in good condition at all times.The 

interval between brake testing is dependant upon a 

number of factors such as vehicle type, vehicle 

history, road conditions and usage but should 

generally not exceed 6 monthly intervals. This is 

often combined with other maintenance work 

using electronic brake efficiency meters. These 

meters are portable or can be permanently fixed 

into a vehicle, easy to use and produce a hard copy 

evidence of the test results. Electronic brake testing 

of dumper trucks and loading shovels can indicate 

brake performance over a period of time and should 

indicate the need for any remedial action before any 

loss or failure of the braking system occurs. These 

meters measure brake effort, which takes into 

account the vehicle speed and ground slope. The 

minimum brake performance for rubber tyred 

machines, derived from BS EN ISO 3450 1996, is a 

brake efficiency of 28% for a loading shovel without 

payload and 19% for rigid frame and articulated 

steer dump trucks with a machine mass over 32 

tonne and tested with payload. 

(b) Tipping Bodies 

Suitable and adequate measures should be in place 

and/or vehicles should be fitted with devices to 

prevent tipping bodies from accidentally collapsing 

from the raised position during maintenance. 

It is useful to put a notice on the vehicle to 

reinforce the use of the devices. Raised body 

alarms can reduce the risk of vehicles being 

‘tipped’ and striking objects. 

Figure 23: Two means of supporting a tipper body 

Two Acceptable Methods of Supporting a Tipper Truck Body During Maintenance Operations 

38 


PART 3 


(c) Tyre Changing or repair 

There are a number of hazards associated with tyre 

changing and repair and these should all be 

addressed prior to any work being carried out: 

(i) If a vehicle is to be raised to remove the wheel 

then the vehicle must be adequately 

supported to prevent any danger of collapse 

and the operation must be carried out on solid 

ground that will not fail resulting in collapse; 

(ii) Adequate lifting equipment and restraining 

equipment must be available to remove the 

wheel to be changed or removed and the 

wheel must never be left free standing where 

there is a danger of it falling and causing injury; 

(ii) Inflation of tyres should be carried out from a 

position of safety and where necessary a 

suitable tyre cage is required and the sidewall 

of the tyre should be inspected prior to 

inflation to ensure it is not defective; 

(iii) After changing or refitting of a wheel the wheel 

nuts or clamping devices must be correctly 

installed and tensioned; 

(iv)Tyres and wheels which are to be taken off site 

for repair or disposal must be stored so that 

they will not endanger persons as a result of 

collapse; and 

(v) Good standards of housekeeping should be 

maintained. 

Figure 24: Wheel handling equipment 

Dumper Wheelchanging 

• Modified forks - ideal kit 

• Forklift, or better still, a telehandler, is an invaluable 

addition to any quarry 

(d) Controlling Exposure of Drivers to Dust 

at Quarries 

Vehicles travelling around quarries will create,or cause, 

dust to be raised. This dust can be reduced at source 

by, for example, the use of water suppression at 

conveying and processing points. It can also be 

reduced by watering of haul roads using a vehicle with 

a bowser or similar equipment that will dampen the 

dust and prevent it becoming airborne. Drivers can 

reduce their exposure to airborne dust by ensuring 

that the windows of their vehicles remain closed whilst 

at the quarry and thereby prevent the access of the 

dust into the cab. Similarly, doors of vehicles should 

only be open for the minimum time required. 

Most modern quarry specific vehicles have air conditioning 

systems which filter out any respirable dust 

before it enters the cab and they ensure a controllable 

climate so that windows do not need to be 

opened to reduce the temperature.Air conditioning 

systems must be maintained and the filters must be 

cleaned or changed at periods stated by the supplier. 

To prevent re-circulation of dust within the cab of the 

vehicle it is important to keep the cab free from dust 

by good housekeeping and, where necessary, by 

vacuuming of the cab to remove the dust. 

Safe Practices 

(a) Drivers of Quarry Vehicles 

Drivers should be competent to operate quarry 

vehicles and drivers need to be authorised, in 

writing by the appropriate manager.Training should 

be given by an accredited person as established 

under Schedule 1 of the Regulations. The need for 

refresher training should be considered. 

The training required is not limited to the operation 

of the vehicle; it also needs to cover the hazards 

related to its use in the workplace and how these 

are controlled, for example, by the vehicle operating 

procedures. The driver should not be exposed to 

excessive noise, dust, or vibration.The driver should 

know who to contact and/or what action to take if 

he or she has any difficulties with the vehicle they 

are operating. 

(b) Speed of Vehicles 

The speed of vehicles should be appropriate for the 

conditions at the quarry site. Different speed limits 


PART 3 


may be needed in different parts of the quarry.These 

limits should be indicated by the use of suitable signs. 

If speed limits are being contravened consideration 

should be given to physical means of reducing the 

speed of vehicles by the use of speed ramps,sleeping 

policemen, artificial chicanes or other means. 

(c) Reversing 

Reversing is recognised as a significant driving 

hazard, particularly in confined areas. The risk 

involved can be reduced by: 

(i) minimising the need for reversing by the use of 

one-way systems and adequate turning areas; 

(ii) ensuring adequate visibility for the driver; 

(iii) providing safe systems of work; 

(iv) providing adequate supervision and training. 

In areas where reversing is unavoidable there must 

be effective arrangements to ensure that it is safe to 

reverse.To reverse safely, the driver needs to be able 

to see the danger area at the rear of the vehicle, or 

receive automatic warnings of any obstruction.The 

area must be clear of any pedestrians and other 

vehicles when reversing takes place. Where safe 

reversing relies on reversing aids, for example, 

closed-circuit television or radar, the vehicle should 

not be used if the devices are defective. When it is 

dark, the site lighting and vehicle lights should 

provide sufficient illumination for the driver to see 

clearly when reversing. 

No single safeguard is likely to be sufficient on its own 

during reversing.All the relevant precautions need to 

be considered together as outlined in figure 25. 

(d) Overhead Power Lines 

Overhead power lines at a quarry are likely to pose 

a significant risk, unless vehicles are prevented from 

approaching them. Vehicles do not need to strike 

the overhead lines for injury to occur; electricity can 

arc through a surprising distance depending on the 

voltage and weather/atmospheric conditions. 

Precautions such as those illustrated in figure 26 are 

required if it is possible for a vehicle to reach the 

danger zone around the cables. Assessment of the 

risk must take account of the possibility of tipper 

trucks travelling when tipped. 

Figure 25: Control measures for reversing operations 

ELIMINATE THE NEED TO REVERSE 

REDUCE REVERSING OPERATIONS 

ENSURE VISIBILITY IS ADEQUATE 

FOR DRIVERS 

ENSURE SAFE SYSTEMS OF 

WORK ARE FOLLOWED 

IMPLEMENT ONE-WAY SYSTEMS AROUND SITE AND IN LOADING AND 

UNLOADING AREAS. 

PROVIDE DESIGNATED TURNING AREAS 

REDUCE THE NUMBER OF VEHICLE MOVEMENTS AS FAR AS POSSIBLE 

INSTRUCT DRIVERS NOT TO REVERSE, UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY 

FIT CCTV, RADAR, CONVEX MIRRORS ETC TO OVERCOME RESTRICTIONS TO 

VISIBILITY FROM THE DRIVERS SEAT, PARTICULARLY AT THE SIDES AND REAR 

OF VEHICLES 

DESIGN VEHICLE REVERSING AREAS WHICH: 

ALLOW ADEQUATE SPACE FOR VEHICLES TO MANOEUVRE SAFELY; 

EXCLUDE PEDESTRIANS 

ARE CLEARLY SIGNED; AND 

HAVE SUITABLE PHYSICAL STOPS, EG BUNDS OF MATERIAL OR BUFFERS, 

TO WARN DRIVERS THAT THEY HAVE REACHED THE LIMIT OF THEIR 

SAFE REVERSING AREA 

ENSURE EVERYONE ON SITE UNDERSTANDS THE VEHICLE RULES 

INSTRUCTIONS AND SAFE OPERATING PROCEDURES 

ENSURE ALL VEHICLES ON SITE ARE FITTED WITH APPROPRIATE 

WARNING DEVICES 

CHECK THAT THE PROCEDURES WORK IN PRACTICE AND ARE 

ACTUALLY BEING FOLLOWED. 

40 


PART 3 


3 metres 

minimum 

clearance 

If work needs to be carried out below power lines 

and it is possible that cranes, excavators or other 

vehicles, could reach into the danger zone, the lines 

should normally be isolated and earthed before 

work begins. If this is not possible, physical 

safeguards such as chains on the boom may be 

required to prevent vehicles reaching into the 

danger area. Guidance should be sought from the 

Electricity Supply Board (ESB) 

Figure 26: Overhead cable protection at a traffic route 

Warning sign board 

(e) Road Vehicles 

These include all road vehicles used at a quarry, 

including those operated by hauling companies or 

owner-drivers, except for purely private vehicles. If 

the on-site risk is the same as when a vehicle is used 

on public roads then additional safeguards are 

unlikely to be needed.If,however,the risk is different 

or greater because of the way a vehicle is used or 

because of site conditions, additional precautions 

may be required. In such cases, these should be 

included in the vehicle operating procedures, for 

example, a requirement to have reversing lights or 

sirens or possibly CCTV and convex mirrors installed. 

(f) Carrying Passengers 

Passengers should never be carried on vehicles 

unless the vehicle has a designated passenger seat. 

Passengers should not be carried on the side of or 

the back of vehicles even if for only short distances. 

It is important that any contraventions of this are 

acted upon immediately and that the dangers from 

such actions are explained to both the driver and 

the person riding on the vehicle. The only acceptable 

exceptions to this would be when brake testing 

is carried out, as the person carrying out the test 

may need to be in the cab alongside the driver, or 

when the driver is showing a maintenance person 

a particular fault that can only be observed inside 

the vehicle cab. 

21. DANGER AREAS 


24. (1) The operator shall ensure that - 

(a) danger areas are clearly marked, 

(b) equipment or barriers are installed at any danger 

area to restrict inadvertent entry to that area by 

persons at work not authorised to enter, 

(c) where a person at work is authorised to enter a 

danger area, appropriate measures are taken to 

protect his or her safety, health and welfare. 

(2) In this Regulation “danger area” means an area of 

the quarry at which there is a significant risk to 

the safety, health or welfare of persons working 

there, due to the nature of the work being carried 

out there (including a risk of a person falling a 

distance likely to cause personal injury) or for any 

other reason. 

All parts of quarries by their nature can contain a 

number of potential hazards and unauthorised 

entry should be discouraged by, for example, the 

placement of warning signs and barriers. 

Additionally, risk assessment should be used to 

identify particularly hazardous areas which merit 

being treated as danger areas. 

Workers should only be authorised to enter 

hazardous danger areas if it is essential to do so and 

when appropriate safeguards have been adopted. A 

safe system of work is required for all work activities 

and in danger areas this may involve a permit to work 

system as detailed under Section 12 of this guidance. 

Areas of the quarry where there are significant 

health hazards may also need to be identified and 

treated as danger areas, for example, where there 

are high noise or dust levels. It is always better, 

however, to control these risks at source. 


PART 3 


Danger areas at a quarry where access is required 

and there is significant risk should be treated as 

hazardous areas and appropriate precautions taken. 

Consideration needs to be given to: 

sections of the excavation, particularly where 

there are significant overhangs, which are liable 

to collapse; 

edges of excavations, particularly water-filled 

excavations, which are liable to collapse; 

places from which persons can fall from height; 

places where falling objects such as stones may 

fall from faces or sides; 

places that contain soft materials or deep water 

where a risk of drowning exists; and 

hazardous maintenance activities. 

No barrier can totally prevent access by a determined 

person,but barriers should clearly identify the 

boundary of the danger area and be appropriate to 

the risk. Barriers can consist of tensioned ropes or 

straps. Fences or earth bunds, which provide equivalent 

protection, are also acceptable as well as 

anything which provides similar protection and this 

must be based on an assessment of risks. 

Figure 27: Signage, bunding and rescue equipment at a sand & gravel lagoon 

Figure 28: Installing quarry face edge 

protection 

Figure 29: Installing quarry face 

edge protection 

Figure 30: Installing quarry face 

edge protection 

In this system aluminium poles are inserted 

into pre-drilled holes approximately one 

metre deep. 

These holes are drilled behind the last line 

of blast holes so that they can be reinstalled 

immediately following blasting. 

Two tensionable fibre straps are connected 

between poles up to 20 metres apart. 

Netting or intermediate bands can be used 

to maintain a constant distance between 

the straps. 

Straps are then tensioned to provide a 

strong fence at the working area up to 

any length. 

This temporary fencing can remain in 

place until the area is ready for blasting 

when it is removed to a place of safety 

until it is required to be re-erected. 

42 


PART 3 


The consequences of objects falling on workers, or 

persons falling from a height over quarry edges or 

through cat-walk or floor openings or into corrosive 

or poisonous liquid or into lagoons or settling 

ponds are so serious that high standards of protection 

are required. 

Secure fencing should normally be provided to 

prevent people falling from edges, and the fencing 

should also be adequate to prevent objects falling 

onto people. Where fencing cannot be provided or 

has to be removed temporarily, other measures 

should be taken to prevent falls. 

The stacking or storage of materials or objects at 

levels from which, if they fall they could injure 

employees, should be secure.Warning signs should 

be provided to prevent unauthorised employees 

entering such areas,unless under direct supervision. 

22. TRAFFIC ROUTES 



(a) traffic routes, including stairs, fixed ladders, 

loading bays and ramps, are designed, located, 

laid out and made negotiable to ensure easy, safe 

and appropriate access in such a way as not to 

endanger persons working in the vicinity of these 

traffic routes, 

(b) routes used for pedestrian or goods traffic, or 

both, including those used for loading and 

unloading, are dimensioned in accordance with 

the number of potential users and the type of 

activity concerned, 

(c) if means of transport are used on traffic routes, a 

sufficient safety clearance or adequate protective 

devices are provided for other quarry users, and 

routes are clearly marked, regularly checked and 

properly maintained, 

(d) sufficient clearance is allowed between vehicle 

traffic routes and doors, gates, passages for 

pedestrians, corridors and staircases, and 

(e) traffic routes are clearly identified for the 

protection of persons at work. 

The vehicles normally present at quarries include, 

loading shovels, ridged & articulated trucks, delivery 

trucks, fork lift trucks, mobile lifting equipment, 

commercial vans and lorries and private vehicles. 

Traffic routes,haul roads and passageways should be 

wide enough and the surfaces suitable for the safe 

movement of the largest vehicle liable to use them. 

Allowance should be made for the size and design 

of vehicles coming into the premises from outside. 

Sharp bends and blind corners should be eliminated 

as far as possible and, where this is not possible, 

warning signs and mirrors should be used to reduce 

the risk of accidents. Traffic routes for heavy traffic 

should be designed, where possible, to avoid the 

areas mainly used by pedestrians. 

The need for vehicles to reverse when collecting or 

delivering goods should, where possible, be 

avoided.Where quarry vehicles,forklift trucks,lorries, 

vans etc.have to reverse, markings on the ground in 

the area frequently used for reversing should be 

provided to aid the driver. Any person giving 

instructions to drivers should avoid doing so from 

behind the vehicle. A realistic speed limit should 

apply to all site vehicles and those making deliveries 

etc. and an appropriate speed limit should also 

apply within buildings. 

Traffic routes should be suitably designed and 

maintained for the traffic to be carried - 

roads or floor surfaces should be constructed 

and surfaced with suitable material; surfaces 

should be even and properly drained; 

excessive gradients should be avoided; 

routes for pedestrians between levels within 

buildings should be by a properly constructed 

stairs, elevators, lifts or suitably constructed 

ramps or cat-walks; 

the use of fixed ladders for access should be 

avoided unless access is not needed very often 

and no other means is possible. 

Where mobile equipment is in use in workrooms 

traffic aisles should be arranged so as to avoid sharp 

comers, inclines, steep ramps and narrow passageways. 

They should be clearly defined, by floor 

markings if necessary, and be free of obstacles. 


PART 3 


Traffic routes must be organised and suitably 

marked,for example by placing clear directional and 

control signs as required.Routes, including one-way 

systems, which minimise reversing, are preferred. 

Drivers who are not familiar with the quarry/site, 

need to be given instructions on any restrictions 

and given clear directions to their destination. 

Public Safety 

Where vehicles on site cross a footpath or turn onto 

a public highway, particular consideration must be 

given to safeguarding the public. This may involve 

discussions with the planning and roads authorities 

and the Garda Siochana. 

Visitors to the quarry, such as customers with their 

own vehicles, members of the public, occasional 

sub-contractors,An Garda Siochana,delivery drivers, 

or anyone who has reason to visit the quarry who is 

driving a vehicle, should be clearly directed to a 

public parking area and a procedure should be put 

in place to ensure that there is no (or minimal) interaction 

with quarry traffic. This can be achieved in a 

number of different ways which could include: 

Customer collection areas where the 

customer’s vehicle is loaded; 

Discourage any non-quarry vehicles entering 

into the quarry traffic routes; 

All visitors directed to where they are to 

travel within the a quarry; 

Visitors should be encouraged to stay in their 

vehicles at all times; and 

Where it is necessary for visitors to get out of 

their vehicles, they must wear the necessary PPE. 

Figure 31: Customer collection area 

23. OUTDOOR WORKSTATIONS 



(a) workstations, traffic routes and other areas or 

installations outdoors that are occupied or used 

by persons at work in the course of their activities 

are organised in such a way that pedestrians and 

vehicles can circulate safely, and 

(b) when persons at work are deployed at outdoor 

workstations, such workstations are arranged so 

that they, as far as possible - 

(i) are protected against inclement weather 

conditions, 

(ii) are not exposed to harmful noise levels or to 

harmful external influences such as gases, 

vapours or dust, and 

(iii) cannot slip or fall. 

This should be considered in addition to what is set 

out above in relation to traffic routes, section 22. 

When necessary, barriers should be placed outside 

doorways from buildings giving access to roadways 

used by vehicles but care must be taken that their 

positioning does not create a trap point. Suitable 

pedestrian routes and crossing points should be 

indicated and marked out. 

Pedestrians need to be kept away from vehicles, 

particularly where vehicles need to turn or reverse. 

They should use separate traffic routes wherever 

possible, for example, pedestrian-only areas and 

safe, designated pedestrian routes.Where this is not 

possible, measures such as high-visibility clothing 

and good lighting may be relied on to reduce the 

risks, along with requirements relating to speed, 

reversing and visibility. 

Where a doorway used by powered vehicles is fitted 

with a door or curtains, that doorway should not be 

used by both vehicles and pedestrians unless a clear 

view is afforded on both sides. Vehicles should be 

provided with flashing lights, reversing alarms, etc. 

as an effective means of warning pedestrians of 

their approach where the driver’s view is restricted. 

All passageways should be adequately lit,particularly 

a) near buildings 

44 


PART 3 


b) in pedestrian areas 

c) at junctions 

d) where there is regular movement of vehicles 

and other mobile plant. 

Visitors who are unfamiliar with the quarry should 

be accompanied by a member of staff if they are 

required to walk through quarry operating areas. 

Consideration must be given to the protection of 

employees employed at outside workstations and 

who may be exposed to inclement weather and 

harsh working conditions.These requirements apply 

to workstations which are intrinsic to the quarrying 

operation.Examples of these would be drilling activities, 

blasting operations, crushing and screening 

plants,workshops,block yards,warehousing,etc.The 

requirements are almost self-explanatory and 

existing good standards as reflected in other regulations 

or codes of practice should be applied. 

24. PROTECTION FROM FALLING OBJECTS 

AND PROVISION OF SAFETY HELMETS 


27. 


(a) adequate measures are taken to prevent persons 

at work from being struck by any falling object, 

(b) where feasible, persons are protected by collective 

methods against falling objects, and 

(c) materials, equipment and other articles are laid 

out or stacked in such a way as to prevent their 

collapsing or overturning. 

(2) The operator shall ensure that every person under 

his or her direct control at work at the quarry is 

provided with - 

(a) a suitable safety helmet, or 

(b) other appropriate head protection, that 

complies with the relevant statutory 

provisions, unless there is no foreseeable risk 

of injury to the head. 


(a) each safety helmet or other head protection 

provided for use at the quarry is marked so 

that it may be identified by the person to 

whom it has been issued, and 

(b) the helmet or other head protection is not 

issued to any other person unless and until it 

has been cleaned and disinfected. 

(4) A person shall not, at a quarry, throw, drop or 

allow to be shot or ejected downwards any 

material or object, including waste material, from 

a height where it is liable to cause injury. 

(5) A person who moves materials or objects, 

including waste materials, from a height at a 

quarry where they are liable to cause injury, shall 

lower them so as to avoid injury to persons. 

The safety and health of employees must be primarily 

safeguarded by measures to eliminate 

workplace risks at source through technical or 

organisational means or by providing protection on 

a collective basis. Collective protective measures 

protecting numbers of employees must be given 

priority over individual protection such as PPE. 

Ideally, people should not be working in areas 

where there is a risk from falling objects and, if 

possible, collective protective measures should be 

put in place such as exclusion zones where the risk 

is high by fencing off these areas. Signs must be 

provided to warn employees entering such areas of 

the hazards involved. 

Generally it is not possible to protect employees at 

quarries from the risks of falling objects by collective 

means alone and safety helmets must be 

provided to and worn by all employees who may be 

exposed to this risk at any time.Helmets issued need 

to have a distinguishing mark identifiable to the 

employee but must not be a mark that might 

adversely affect the performance of the helmet such 

as drilled holes, notching of the edges etc. More 

detailed guidance is provided in the H.S.A.guidance 

to the General Application Regulations 2007. 

Organisational measures should be put in place to 

ensure articles or materials are not thrown or 

dropped from a height that might put persons at 

work at risk of injury. 


PART 3 


25. PREVENTION OF DROWNING 


28. 

(1) The operator shall ensure that where, at a 

quarry, there is a risk of a fall from - 

(a) the edge of land adjacent to water, 

(b) a structure adjacent to or above water, or 

(c) a floating platform, 

secure fencing is provided near the edge of the 

land, structure or platform, as appropriate, to 

prevent such a fall. 

(2) To the extent necessary for the access of persons 

or movement of materials, paragraph (1) does 

not apply if appropriate precautions are taken, so 

far as is reasonably practicable, to ensure the 

safety and health of persons at work. 

(3) Without prejudice to paragraph (1), where, in or 

adjacent to the quarry, there is water into which a 

person, in the course of his or her work, is liable to 

fall with risk of drowning, the operator shall 

ensure that - 

(a) suitable rescue equipment is provided, 

properly maintained and ready for use, 

(b) arrangements are made for the prompt 

rescue of any such person who is in danger 

of drowning, and 

(c) personal flotation devices conforming to 

European Norm (EN) or, where appropriate, an 

equivalent standard, are provided and worn at all 

times by persons at risk at the quarry. 

(4) The operator shall ensure that personal flotation 

devices provided under this Regulation are - 

(a) properly maintained, 

(b) checked before each use, 

(c) inspected in accordance with the 

manufacturer’s instructions, and 

(d) subjected to a thorough examination by a 

competent person every 12 months. 

(5) On the day of an inspection or examination under 

paragraph (4),the person who carries out the inspection 

or examination, as the case may be, shall - 

(a) make a report of the results in an approved 

form, 

(b) sign and date the report, and 

(c) give a copy of the report to the operator. 

These requirements set out the means of preventing 

drowning at quarries. While this risk exists in most 

quarries, the majority of drowning at quarries has 

involved intentional or inadvertent trespass by 

members of the public. The first part of this regulation 

makes no reference to work activity and therefore 

covers all potential drowning of persons at 

quarries.Operators must consider the particular risks 

associated with trespass where areas of the quarry 

are flooded or contain other areas of water such as 

lagoons and settleing ponds.The use of water bodies 

at quarries by youths or other members of the public 

for recreation or bathing must be prevented as far as 

is reasonably practicable by restricting access and the 

placing of appropriate warning signs. 

Figure 32: Warning signs 

This regulation requires the operator to provide 

secure fencing where there is a risk of a fall into water 

from an edge above, adjacent to or on a structure or 

platform above or adjacent to water.This requirement 

will not apply where access by persons or movement 

of materials is required and other appropriate precautions 

are taken. 

Quarries where there is a risk of persons falling into 

water and drowning during the course of their work, 

the operator is required to provide; 

suitable rescue equipment such as lifebuoys, 

rescue boats etc, properly maintained and 

ready for use, 

arrangements for prompt rescue, such as an 

adequate number of well placed lifebuoys, 

prohibiting lone working near water, etc., 

personal flotation devices, (PFD’s) which are 

properly maintained, checked before use and 

tested every 12 months, worn at all times by 

persons at risk. 

46 


PART 3 


26. ESCAPE AND RESCUE FACILITIES 


29. Without prejudice to section 11 of the Act, the 

operator shall ensure that - 

(a) adequate means of escape and rescue are 

provided and maintained, so as to enable persons 

to leave the quarry promptly and safely in the 

event of danger, 

(b) adequate means of communication and warning 

are provided to enable assistance, escape and 

rescue operations to be launched at once when 

required, 

(c) instructions concerning the use of emergency 

equipment and the action to be taken in the 

event of an emergency at or near the quarry are 

prepared, 

(d) persons at work at the quarry are trained in 

appropriate action to be taken in the event of an 

emergency, 

(e) rescue equipment is provided, maintained in 

good working condition and kept ready for use at 

readily accessible, appropriately sited and clearly 

sign-posted places, 

(f) emergency routes and exits remain clear and lead 

by the most direct means to the open air, a safe 

area or a safe assembly or evacuation point, 

(g) the number, distribution and dimensions of the 

emergency routes and exits are appropriate to 

the use, equipment and dimensions of the quarry 

and the maximum number of persons that may 

be present, 

(h) emergency doors open outwards and are not so 

locked or fastened that they cannot be easily and 

immediately opened by any person who may 

require to use them in an emergency, 

(i) emergency routes and exits, and the traffic routes 

and doors giving access to such routes and exits, 

are free from obstruction so that they can be used 

at any time without hindrance, 

(j) emergency routes and exits requiring 

illumination are provided with emergency 

lighting of adequate intensity, and 

(k) specific emergency routes and exits are indicated 

by signs in accordance with the relevant statutory 

provisions applying to safety and health signs at 

work. 

The identification of hazards and the assessment of 

the risks carried out as part of the preparation of the 

safety statement will have identified hazards that 

however unlikely to occur would,if they were realised, 

result in a serious incident or emergency at the quarry, 

such as a major fire or escape of noxious gases.These 

could occur from the interaction of chemicals, or a 

failure in a process,a rupture of a pressure vessel,from 

inadvertent detonation of explosives or from other 

sources. This requires the Operator to prepare 

emergency procedures for the quarry. 

In the emergency procedures particular attention 

should be paid to means of escape from areas such 

as buildings, rooms, chambers, confined spaces and 

other areas where there is a significant risk from: 

fire or explosion; 

the escape of steam; 

concentration of noxious gases; or 

ground collapse, for example at the quarry face, 

at stockpiles, in stockpile tunnels or tunnels to 

which people have access in the course of their 

work. 

Means of escape need to be taken into account 

when designing fixed, temporary or mobile 

workplaces.Sometimes a second exit may be necessary 

where highly flammable liquids are used. 

Communications 

Effective means of communication are important in 

an emergency, particularly in remote areas and for 

lone workers. Communication equipment might 

range from bells/sirens to more sophisticated public 

address or closed circuit television systems. Risk 

assessments should indicate the communication 

systems to be used for lone workers in an isolated 

area.Radios or telephones can enable rapid communication 

if they are carefully positioned,although they 

must not be used close to explosives or where there 

is a risk of an explosive atmosphere. They may, for 

example,be fitted to mobile plant or back-up service 

vehicles, or issued to appropriate individuals. 

In most quarries, liaison with the emergency 

services is helpful. In particular, it is advisable to 

inform them in advance of any dangers that might 

affect their operations, for example the presence of 

explosives, LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) storage, 


PART 3 


unstable faces and burning tyres,which may explode. 

Well-constructed and maintained roadways allow 

emergency vehicles easier access.These vehicles are 

generally made for road use and are not suited to 

difficult terrain. A quarry vehicle may need to be 

adapted for use as an emergency vehicle for use on 

difficult terrain. It is helpful, where feasible, in 

emergencies to have a person waiting at the quarry 

entrance to direct the emergency services. 

Rescue Equipment 

Examples of the types of rescue equipment that 

may be required include: 

(a) first aid equipment (as per First Aid Regulations); 

(b) stretchers; 

(c) ropes; 

(d) ladders (rigid or rope); 

(e) lifting equipment, such as winches, tripods etc.; 

(f ) tools, e.g., pickaxe crowbar, shovel, cutters; 

(g) quarry vehicle adapted as a rescue vehicle; 

(h) buoyancy aids, e.g. lifejackets, lifebuoys (rings); 

(i) rescue boats. 

It is advisable to liaise with the local emergency 

services in relation to particular risks that may exist 

at the quarry. 

Training 

Most people only need to be able to leave their 

workplace and go to a designated place of safety in 

the event of an emergency.Where rescue equipment 

is provided,enough people should be trained to use 

it without endangering themselves or others. This 

will include sufficient number of persons receiving 

training in first aid and the use of fire fighting equipment 

and in arranging liaison with the emergency 

services.The number of persons trained in First Aid is 

dependent on the size of the operation and on the 

nature of the operations carried out at the quarry but 

there should always be at least one trained first aider 

present at the quarry and the operator is required to 

ensure that there is sufficient first aid equipment to 

enable first aid to be rendered. 

The operator must ensure that enough trained 

personnel are provided to administer first aid in 

accordance with requirements of the Safety, Health 

and Welfare at Work (General Application) 

Regulations, which are a minimum of one if risk 

assessment so specifies or one if risk assessment so 

specifies or one for up to 150 employees and a 

minimum of two for above that. 

27. SAFETY DRILLS 


30. The operator shall ensure that safety drills are 

held at the quarry at regular intervals for persons at 

work there for the purposes of - 

(a) training the persons who work at the quarry in 

the appropriate actions to be taken in an emergency, 

including, where appropriate, the correct use, 

handling and operation of emergency equipment, and 

(b) training and checking the skills of such persons to 

whom specific duties involving the use, handling and 

operation of such equipment have been assigned in 

the event of an emergency. 

The risk assessment should identify the type of 

emergencies which may occur and, consequently, 

the safety drills which will be of value. The people 

involved in such drills, the areas covered and the 

number of safety drills that are needed should be 

decided based on these assessments. 

Safety drills help ensure that people know what to 

do in an emergency. In particular, they help those 

likely to be involved in escape and rescue operations 

familiarise themselves with procedures,equipment 

and assembly points. In certain situations it 

may be appropriate to carry out safety drills in 

conjunction with the emergency services. This will 

aid the training and checking of skills in readiness 

for possible emergencies. 

28. FIRE AND EXPLOSION HAZARDS 


31. 

(1) This Regulation applies without prejudice to 

section 11 of the Act and the Fire Services Acts 

1981 and 2003 (No. 30 of 1981 and No.15 of 2003). 


(a) no person at work at the quarry uses a 

naked flame or carries out any work that 

could give rise to a risk of an unintended fire 

48 


PART 3 


or explosion, unless sufficient measures to 

prevent such a fire or explosion are taken, and 

(b) no person smokes or carries a lighted pipe, 

cigar or cigarette in any part of the quarry 

where there is a risk of fire or explosion. 

(3) The operator, depending on the features of the 

quarry, the dimensions and use of rooms, the onsite 

equipment, the physical and chemical 

properties of the substances present and the 

maximum potential number of persons present 

at work, shall provide or cause to be provided at 

the quarry an adequate number of - 

(a) appropriate fire-fighting devices, and 

(b) where required, fire detectors and alarm 

systems. 


(a) fire-fighting devices, fire detectors and 

alarm systems are regularly checked and 

properly maintained, 

(b) appropriate tests and fire drills take place at 

regular intervals, 

(c) non-automatic fire-fighting equipment is 

easily accessible, easy to use and, where 

necessary, protected from potential 

damage, and 

(d) fire-fighting equipment is indicated by signs 

in accordance with the relevant statutory 

provisions applying to safety and health 

signs at work. 

Hot work should not be permitted near closed 

vessels which contain or have contained flammable 

substances, except under a permit to work system. 

Even a trace of the flammable substance may 

create enough flammable vapour to cause a 

substantial explosion. 

Hot work needs also to be prohibited on closed 

pressurised systems which could explode or fail as a 

result of heat.This includes tyres and wheels, which 

are often contaminated with grease or oil and create 

hazards as regards both pressure and flammable 

substances. 

The operator must ensure that appropriate fire 

fighting equipment and where necessary fire detection 

and alarm systems are provided, indicated by 

signage, tested and maintained. 

29. EXPLOSIVE OR HARMFUL ATMOSPHERES 


32. 

(1) Where there is a potential for harmful or explosive 

atmospheres to be present at the quarry, the 

operator shall ensure that- 

(a) steps are taken in order to determine 

whether potentially harmful or explosive 

substances are present in the atmosphere 

and, where such substances are present, the 

concentration of such substances in the 

atmosphere is measured, 

(b) automatic devices are provided that are 

designed to - 

(i) monitor continuously the concentration of 

explosive or flammable gases in the 

atmosphere, 

(ii) trigger an alarm if such concentration 

reaches a dangerous level, and 

(iii) cut off power to any plant that, because of 

the concentration of such gases in the 

atmosphere, gives rise to a risk to the safety 

and health of any person, 

(c) where devices are provided in accordance 

with subparagraph (b)(i), a record of the 

levels of concentration of such gases in the 

atmosphere is made at such intervals as are 

specified in the safety statement, 

(d) at any place in the quarry where there is a 

risk of the occurrence or accumulation of 

an explosive atmosphere, all necessary 

measures are taken in order - 

(i) to prevent such occurrence and 

accumulation, or 

(ii) where this is not practicable, to prevent the 

ignition of such an atmosphere, and 

(e) at any place in the quarry where there is a 

risk of the occurrence or accumulation of a 

substance harmful to health in the 

atmosphere, appropriate measures are 

taken in order to - 

(i) prevent such occurrence and accumulation 

or, where this is not practicable, 


PART 3 


(ii) extract or disperse that harmful substance in 

such a way that persons are not placed at risk. 

(2) When persons at work are present in a particular 

place in the quarry where they are exposed to a 

substance in the atmosphere that is, or may be, 

harmful to health, the operator shall ensure that - 

(a) appropriate and sufficient breathing and 

resuscitation equipment is - 

(i) available, 

(ii) suitably stored, and 

(iii) maintained, 

(b) a sufficient number of persons trained in the 

use of such equipment are present, and 

(c) where harmful substances accumulate or 

may accumulate in the atmosphere, 

appropriate measures are taken to ensure - 

(i) their suppression at source, 

(ii) their extraction at source, 

(iii) their removal, or 

(iv) the dilution of accumulations of such 

substances, in such a way that persons 

are not at risk. 

Work in most quarries is not likely to create a significant 

risk of an accumulation of explosive or 

flammable gases. If the risk is negligible then no 

action needs to be taken. There are circumstances, 

however, in which such a risk could arise, for 

example, as a result of landfill gases from a neighbouring 

waste disposal site or in a confined space. 

Any possibility of significant concentrations of 

flammable gases at a quarry needs to be carefully 

assessed and measurements taken to determine 

typical concentrations.The action required to comply 

needs to be recorded in the safety statement. 

Where flammable gases are likely to be found at 

above 25% of their lower explosive limit precautions 

need to be specified in the safety statement. 

Alarms, where fitted, should be triggered as soon as 

the concentration of flammable gas exceeds 25% of 

its lower explosive limit, i.e. 1.25 % CH4 (Methane) by 

volume. Electrical and any other equipment, which is 

liable to be exposed to flammable vapours, must be 

suitable for use in such conditions.The Safety, Health 

and Welfare at Work (General Applications) 

Regulations 2007 and the EU Commission guidance 

on the ATEX Directive may provide useful information 

in this area but do not specifically apply to quarrying. 

They would be applicable to factory situations at the 

quarry which are outside of the area covered by the 

Quarries Regulations but within the quarry boundary. 

Power cut-off devices are not an alternative to using 

equipment designed for use in a flammable atmosphere. 

They are only appropriate where the risk of 

exposure to flammable vapours is low and the act 

of cutting-off the power would not in itself create a 

risk of ignition, for example, from an electrical spark. 

30. LIGHTING 



(a) the quarry is provided throughout with lighting 

capable of supplying illumination sufficient to 

ensure the health and safety of persons therein, 

(b) workstations, as far as possible - 

(i) receive sufficient natural light, and 

(ii) bearing in mind the climatic conditions, are 

equipped with artificial lighting adequate 

for the protection of the safety and health of 

persons at work, 

(c) lighting installations in rooms containing workstations 

and in passageways are placed in such a 

way that the type of lighting provided does not 

present a risk of accident to persons at work, and 

(d) every part of the quarry in which a person is likely 

to be exposed to risks in the event of the failure of 

artificial lighting is provided with emergency 

lighting of adequate intensity and, where that is 

not possible, persons at work in that place are 

provided with an appropriate personal lamp. 

Lighting a quarry is much more difficult than lighting 

a flat area because of the many uneven surfaces and 

the consequential deceptive effects of shadows even 

in and around the processing areas. Emergency 

lighting is required where work continues after dark 

and safe evacuation is not possible without artificial 

lighting. Where lighting is provided by independently 

powered lighting towers,and failure of any one 

tower would still leave enough light to enable 

people to leave the area safely,no further emergency 

lighting needs to be provided. 

50 


PART 3 


Lights provided on vehicles should be sufficient to 

enable them to be driven safely, but additional 

lighting may be required for manoeuvring operations 

such as reversing or tipping. 

Where a person is exposed to risks by the failure of 

artificial lighting, emergency lighting of an 

adequate intensity should be provided where 

practicable. Where this is not possible, a personal 

lamp should be provided.The safety of security staff 

and others who have to move around the quarry at 

night must be ensured by an appropriate combination 

of floodlights and torches. 

Figure 33: Operating a quarry using artificial lighting 

31. PREVENTION OF UNAUTHORISED ENTRY 



(a) quarry boundaries are signposted and laid out so 

as to be clearly visible and identifiable, 

(b) safe means of access and egress at the quarry are 

(i) provided and maintained, and 

(ii) where appropriate, indicated, 

(c) adequate precautions are taken to protect persons 

present at, or in the vicinity of, the quarry from 

risks that may arise from quarrying operations, and 

(d) adequate precautions are taken to prevent 

unauthorised entry to the quarry including, where 

appropriate, the provision of barriers. 

safety and health.This, in respect of quarry operators 

includes ensuring, where appropriate, that a barrier 

suitable for the purpose of discouraging trespass is 

placed around the boundary of the quarry and is 

properly maintained. In this context, trespass means 

entry to the quarry without the operator’s express or 

implied permission or some legal justification. 

Barriers are appropriate where it is reasonably 

foreseeable that members of the public, including 

children,are likely to trespass and could suffer injury 

if they did so. There is a significant risk of injury or 

death to trespassers at most quarries. Barriers 

should always be provided at quarry boundaries 

which are near to schools, colleges, shops or significant 

numbers of homes. The provision of barriers 

needs to be considered as part of the risk assessment 

process, and the findings of the assessment 

included in the safety statement. 

The type of barrier depends on the risks. Where the 

risk of public access is low,hedges,stock proof fencing, 

bunds, trenches or mounds may be enough. In some 

circumstances where the risk of trespass is high 

sophisticated metal paling fences will be required. 

Trespassing should be actively discouraged by signage 

and security measures,incidents reported and appropriate 

action taken to prevent further trespass. 

Records must be kept to show that barriers have 

been appropriately inspected and repaired in accordance 

with the scheme of inspection at the quarry. 

Even high quality fencing must be checked to see if it 

is still up to the job of preventing inadvertent access. 

This photograph shows how it shouldn’t be left! 

Figure 34: Protecting the boundary of a quarry from 

inadvertent access 

Employers and the self-employed have a general duty, 

under Section 12 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at 

Work Act 2005 to ensure they conduct their undertaking 

in such a way to ensure, so far as was reasonably 

practicable,that persons not in their employment 

who may be affected are not exposed to risks to their 


PART 4 SAFETY PROVISIONS FOR ANCILLARY ACTIVITIES & INSTALLATIONS 

32. APPLICATION OF THIS PART 


Definition of “place of work” (Part 4). 

35. In this Part “place of work” means - 

(a) premises at the quarry housing workstations, and 

(b) other premises at the quarry to which persons at 

work have access for the purpose of the 

immediate and ancillary activities and 

installations of the quarry, including premises 

providing accommodation, rest and 

sanitary facilities. 

The requirements of this part apply to all places of 

work at the quarry which are located within a 

premises or buildings. This particular definition of 

“place of work” is for this Part only and covers not 

only the place where work actually takes place but 

also rest areas, toilets, changing rooms etc. The 

broader definition found in the 2005 Act applies 

where the term is used elsewhere. 

33. STABILITY AND SOLIDITY 


36. The operator shall ensure that a place of work, 

whether temporary or permanent, has a structure 

and solidity appropriate to its use, and - 

(a) has been designed and constructed, and 

(b) is operated, supervised and maintained, so 

as to withstand the environmental forces 

anticipated and to be safe and without risk 

to health. 

The operator must be satisfied that the floors, walls 

etc. are able to support both the weight of equipment 

and the pressures of additional forces which 

its use imposes on the structure. 

The structure’s materials,where possible,should also 

be suitable for the work undertaken so that over 

time it does not fail, for example, walls cracking due 

to vibration from blasting, floors rotting due to 

moisture or corrosion of structural steel supports. 

Where such risks have been identified ongoing 

periodic examination will be necessary to detect 

any signs of deterioration. 

In some workplaces there will be risks to the structure 

from impact damage caused by moving 

vehicles and measures need to be taken to protect 

vulnerable areas and to repair any damage before 

it poses a hazard to safety. 

The installation of new equipment in existing buildings 

may require an analysis to determine if structural 

changes are necessary. 

If cracks occur in any structure they need to be 

investigated to ascertain if there is a risk to safety. 

34. FLOORS, WALLS AND CEILINGS 

OF ROOMS (Regulation 37) 

37. 

(1) The operator shall, in respect of a place of work, 

ensure that - 

(a) floors - 

(i) have no dangerous bumps, holes or slopes, 


(ii) are fixed, stable and not slippery, 

(b) workstations are adequately insulated, 

having regard to the type of work activity 

involved and the physical activity of the 

persons at work, and 

(c) surfaces of floors, walls and ceilings are such 

that they - 

(i) can be cleaned, and are cleaned, and 

(ii) where appropriate, refurbished 

to an appropriate standard of hygiene. 

(2) The operator shall ensure that transparent or 

translucent walls, and in particular, glass 

partitions, in a place of work or in the vicinity of 

outdoor workstations and traffic routes, are - 

(a) clearly indicated, and 

(b) made of safety material, or are shielded 

from such places or routes, in order to 

prevent persons from coming into 

contact with such walls or partitions, or 

being injured in the event of such walls or 

partitions shattering. 

The surfaces of floors and traffic routes should be 

free from any hole, slope or uneven or slippery 

surface which is likely to cause: 

52 



(a) a person to slip, trip or fall, 

(b) a person to drop or lose control of anything 

being lifted or carried, or 

(c) instability or loss of control of vehicles or their 

loads (or both). 

Slopes should not be steeper than necessary. 

Moderate and steep slopes should be provided with 

a secure handrail, where necessary. 

Floor surfaces which are likely to become wet or to 

be subject to spillages should be of a type which 

does not become unduly slippery. Where there is 

likely to be danger, protection should be provided, 

for example through protective footwear, slip 

resistant floor surfaces, barriers around areas being 

cleaned, proper cleaning techniques and adequate 

maintenance. 

The report“Safer surfaces to walk on - reducing the 

risk of slipping”, published by the UK Construction 

Industry Research and Information Association 

(CIRIA), provides useful information for designers 

and building maintenance managers. 

Floors, ceilings and interior walls should be painted, 

tiled or otherwise treated so that they can be kept 

clean. The surface treatment should be renewed 

when it can no longer be cleaned properly. 

Absorbent floors, such as untreated concrete or 

timber, which are likely to be contaminated by oil or 

other substances which are difficult to remove, 

should be sealed or coated, for example, with a 

suitable non-slip floor paint. Interior walls, floors, 

ceilings and work surfaces must be cleaned at 

suitable intervals. The intervals will depend on the 

type and level of work activity and the frequency of 

use. Cleaning should be carried out by an effective 

and suitable method and without creating a health 

or safety risk for employees. 

For some places of work, the selection and cleaning 

of floors and walls may also be subject to food 

hygiene requirements, set by the Food Safety 

Authority of Ireland. 

Roofs containing fragile materials include the 

following: 

profiled plastic cladding, 

glass reinforced plastic (GRP) daylight sheets, 

asbestos cement sheets, 

fibre cement sheets (non-asbestos), 

glass-wired or plain, 

light gauge steel sheets, 

other fragile materials used for roofing. 

Access to roofs is often a feature of maintenance 

work and the provisions of Part 4 of the General 

Application Regulations 2007 relating to work at 

height will be relevant. 

Persons at work may not be allowed to – 

pass across or work on or from a fragile surface 

where it is reasonably practicable to carry out 

work safely without their doing so, 

enter onto any roof which incorporates fragile 

material and which would be liable to fracture 

under weight, unless protective measures are 

taken, e.g. use of ladders, crawling ladders, 

crawling boards or duck boards, 

work near, or to pass by, fragile parts of a roof 

unless suitable protective measures are taken, 

e.g., guard rails, coverings or other suitable 

means to prevent them stepping on or falling 

through the roof should they lose their balance. 

Prominent warning notices must be posted where 

there is access to, or where any person at work 

passes across or near, any fragile roof. In addition, a 

verbal warning must be given to any employees 

who may require such access. 

A translucent wall is one that is semi-transparent. 

The first requirement in relation to a translucent wall 

is to ensure that persons will be able to note the 

presence of a transparent wall and not confuse it for 

an opening through which they expect to pass. 

Transparent or translucent walls and partitions 

should be made of materials which are safe or they 

should be adequately protected against breakage, 

particularly where any part of the transparent or 

translucent surface is at waist level (800 mm from 

floor level) or below. 

Detailed guidance related to glazing and human 

impact can be found in BS 6262-4:2005;“Glazing for 

buildings-code of practice for safety related to 

human impact”. 



As an alternative to the use of safety materials,transparent 

or translucent surfaces may be adequately 

protected against breakage. This may be achieved 

by means of a screen or barrier which will prevent a 

person from coming into contact with the glass if 

he or she falls against it. 

A transparent or translucent surface should be 

marked, where necessary, to make it apparent. 

Where it is needed, marking may take any form (for 

example coloured lines or patterns) provided that it 

is conspicuous and at a conspicuous height. 

35. ROOM DIMENSIONS AND AIR SPACE IN 

ROOMS ETC (Regulation 38) 

38. The operator shall, in respect of a place of work, 

ensure that - 

(a) rooms have sufficient surface area, height and air 

space to allow persons at work to perform their 

work without risk to their safety, health or welfare, 


(b) the dimensions of the free space at the 

workstation allow persons at work sufficient 

freedom of movement and enable them to 

perform their work safely. 

Inadequate space, overcrowding and uncomfortable 

conditions are to be avoided if employees are 

to work safely and without risk to health.Because of 

the variety of workplaces it would be very difficult to 

specify the space which should be provided for 

every situation.The figures below should be used in 

the places of work mentioned and also as a guide 

for comparable places of work. Guidance to the 

Building Regulations and codes issued by professional 

bodies should be referred to. 

When calculating the allocation of space available it 

should be remembered that, in general, inadequate 

space or overcrowding can increase the risk of 

accidents.Adequate space around the workstation is 

necessary to provide suitable access and egress for 

the general wellbeing of the person at work, to facilitate 

maintenance,adjustment and cleaning of equipment 

and to provide space for work in progress. 

The following should be used as a guide for factories, 

offices and other similar workplaces: 

In calculating the allocation of space a reasonable 

approach should be taken as regards discounting 

any large spaces taken up by unusual fittings, furniture, 

machinery etc. In a room containing a counter, 

the space up to and under it should be included 

when calculating the space available for each 

person behind the counter 

Office work or similar 

In offices, 4.65 square metres should be the 

minimum amount of floor space allowed for every 

person employed in any room, including the area 

occupied by the office desk and chair but excluding 

filing cabinets and other office furniture. 

Places of work other than in an office or similar 

At least 11.3 cubic metres should be provided for 

each person at work in a room at any one time. 

When calculating the volume, no space more than 

4.3 metres from the floor should be taken into 

account. 

Sufficient space should be available to employees 

at their workstations to carry out their work safely 

and comfortably. 

Each workstation should allow the employee 

adequate freedom of movement and the ability to 

stand upright. When work must be carried out in 

cramped conditions, the duration should be kept as 

short as possible and sufficient space provided 

nearby to allow for freedom of movement 

36. WINDOWS AND SKYLIGHTS 



ensure that - 

(a) windows, skylights and ventilation devices - 

(i) that are meant to be opened, adjusted or 

secured are designed so that these activities 

can be carried out in a safe manner, and 

(ii) are not positioned so as to constitute a 

hazard to persons at work when open, and 

(b) windows and skylights can be cleaned without 

risk. 

It should be possible for employees to open, close, 

adjust or secure windows, skylights and ventilators 

54 



in a safe manner. Where necessary, suitable equipment 

should be available to employees for 

opening/closing windows from floor level or from a 

secure platform, without having to use chairs or 

tables, etc.. 

Windows, when open, should be such that they do 

not project into passageways at a height where they 

are liable to be struck by passers-by nor should they 

be located where persons could accidentally fall 

through them. 

The age,design and location of a building will determine 

the most appropriate method for cleaning 

buildings. Options include: 

Self-cleaning glass 

Windows that can be safely cleaned on both 

sides from within the building 

Permanent walkways 

Suspended cradles 

Rope access 

Mobile elevated working platforms 

Tower scaffolding 

Long pole cleaning systems. 

In some instances the use of ladders or safety 

harnesses may be acceptable but their use should 

be reviewed in the context that there may be safer 

options. 

BS 8213-1:2004 provides useful information when 

considering access options for window cleaning. 

37. DOORS AND GATES 



ensure that - 

(a) the position, number and dimensions of doors 

and gates, and the materials used in their 

construction, are determined by the nature and 

use of the rooms or areas concerned, 

(b) transparent doors are appropriately marked at a 

conspicuous level, 

(c) swing doors and gates are transparent or have 

see-through panels, 

(d) if transparent or translucent surfaces in doors 

and gates are not made of safety material and 

there is a danger that persons at work may be 

injured in the event of a door or gate shattering, 

the surfaces are protected against breakage, 

(e) sliding doors are fitted with a safety device to 

prevent them from being derailed or falling over, 

(f) doors and gates opening upwards are fitted with 

a mechanism to secure them against falling back, 

(g) doors forming part of escape routes are - 

(i) appropriately marked, 

(ii) possible to open from the inside at any time 

without special assistance, and 

(iii) possible to open when the place of work is 

occupied, 

(h) doors for pedestrians are provided in the 

immediate vicinity of any gates intended 

essentially for vehicle traffic, unless it is safe for 

pedestrians to pass through and such doors are 

clearly marked and left permanently unobstructed, 

(i) mechanical doors and gates function in such a 

way that there is no risk of accident to persons at 

work, are fitted with easily identifiable and 

accessible emergency shutdown devices and, 

where they open automatically in the event of a 

power failure, it is also possible to open them 

manually, and 

(j) where chains or similar devices are used to 

prevent access to any place, these are clearly 

visible and appropriately identified by signs 

denoting any prohibition or warning. 

Doors and gates installed in places of work should 

be suitable for the number of persons employed 

and the nature of the work carried on.Factors which 

should be taken into account are the traffic routes 

used by pedestrians and vehicles, access for people 

with disabilities, requirements in the event of an 

emergency, visibility issues, nature of vehicular 

traffic, the numbers of employees requiring access 

or egress, the size and quantity of material moving 

in and out of the place of work and the effort 

required to open/close gates. 

In some instances doors may require a certain fire 

rating to maintain a secure means of escape in case 

of fire. 



The Building Regulations Technical Guidance 

Document“B”Fire Safety sets out a range of criteria 

that will influence the siting of doors. 

So as to prevent employees walking through them, 

the markings on transparent doors should be 

conspicuous and not easily removable. 


Document “M” Access for People with Disabilities 

advises that permanent markings be placed 1,200 

to 1,500 mm above finished floor level. 

Transparent or translucent surfaces in doors and 

gates should be made of materials which are safe or 

they should be adequately protected against 

breakage, particularly where any part of the transparent 

or translucent surface is at shoulder level 

(1,500 mm from floor level) or below. 

BS 6262-4:2005 on glazing in buildings may be a 

useful reference. 

Sliding doors should have effective means to prevent 

them from coming off their tracks.They should have 

a retaining rail to prevent them falling should their 

suspension system fail or the rollers leave the track. 

Upward opening doors should be fitted with an 

effective device,such as a counter balance or ratchet 

mechanism, to prevent them falling back in a 

manner likely to cause injury. 

Where the speed and/or volume of traffic creates a 

risk to the safety of persons,separate pedestrian and 

vehicular routes should be provided at any entrance 

or exit point in or from a place of work. Account 

should be taken of the greatest volume of traffic,the 

number of persons likely to use the route at any 

given time,the width of the gateway and the degree 

of visibility from both sides. 

Traffic control will be necessary to secure pedestrian 

safety. The boundaries of pedestrian and vehicular 

routes should be clearly defined,for example, by the 

use of raised footpaths or kerbs. 

In respect of frequently-used doorways fitted with 

plastic curtains, unless the doorway is wide enough 

to facilitate the safe passage of both pedestrians 

and vehicles on clearly marked routes, alternative 

access arrangements for pedestrians should be 

provided.Plastic curtains become opaque over time 

from wear and tear. 

Power operated doors and gates should be designed, 

installed and maintained to prevent injury as a result 

of being struck by the door or gate or being trapped 

between parts of it or between it and a wall or floor. 

Some examples of safety devices for controlling 

mechanical doors and gates are as follows: 

a sensitive edge or other suitable detector and 

associated trip device which is designed to 

stop, or stop and reverse, the motion of the 

door when obstructed, 

devices which limit the closing force to ensure 

that it is insufficient to cause injury if a person 

is trapped, 

an operating control which must be held in the 

operating position (hold to run) during the 

whole of the closing motion.This will only be 

suitable where the risk of injury is low and the 

speed of closure is slow.This type of control, 

when released, should cause the door to stop 

or reopen immediately and should be 

positioned so that the operator has a clear view 

of the door throughout its movement. 

Power operated doors and gates should have a readily 

identifiable and accessible control switch or device so 

that they can be stopped quickly in an emergency. 

Operators need to determine if a mechanical 

door/gate is, or is likely to be used as an emergency 

exit.If it is not designed to open automatically in the 

case of power failure then the means or tools necessary 

to open it manually must be readily available. 

In the event of the power supply being restored, 

there should be no danger to persons using tools to 

open a door. 

Practice in opening such doors should form part of 

the programme for fire or emergency evacuation 

drills. 

38. VENTILATION 



ensure that - 

(a) steps are taken to ensure that there is sufficient 

fresh air in enclosed rooms, having regard to the 

working methods used and the physical demands 

placed on the persons at work, 

56 



(b) where a forced ventilation system is used, it is 

maintained in good working order, 

(c) any breakdown in a forced ventilation system is 

indicated by a control system, where this is 

necessary for the health of persons at work, 

(d) where air-conditioning or mechanical ventilation 

installations are used, they operate in such a way 

that persons at work are not exposed to draughts 

that cause discomfort or ill health, and 

(e) any deposit or dirt likely to create danger to the 

health of persons at work by entering into the 

atmosphere is removed without delay. 

In most cases the natural ventilation provided 

through windows and doors will be adequate. In 

cases where, for instance, there are high dust levels 

or high temperatures or where the place of work is 

isolated from the outside air, mechanical or forced 

ventilation may be necessary. 

The provision of natural or forced ventilation will 

depend on - 

(a) the processes, materials and substances which 

are liable to contaminate the atmosphere, 

released heat or humidity, 

(b) the design of the building, 

(c) the actual volume of the place of work itself, 

(d) the number of occupants, 

(e) the physical activity of the occupants, 

(f ) the location of a workstation within a building. 

Mechanical ventilation systems should be 

maintained in good working order as part of a plant 

maintenance system. 

The requirement for a device to give warning of 

breakdowns applies where necessary for reasons of 

safety and health. It could apply particularly to 

“dilution ventilation” systems used to reduce 

concentrations of dust or fumes in the atmosphere. 

It could also apply to any other situation where a 

breakdown in the ventilation system would be likely 

to result in harm to employees. 

The system should be designed so that the breakdown 

is readily detected by those liable to be 

affected. Alarms in rarely visited plant rooms would 

not be adequate. 

Draughts may be caused by inadequate design or 

control of the ventilation system or poor workstation 

layout arrangements.The sensation of draughts 

is related to air speed and temperature, a person’s 

activity and level of clothing.It can also be related to 

the sensitivity of the individual concerned. 

Systems should be free from any substance or 

organism which may contaminate the air passing by 

it thereby affecting the safety and health of 

employees. Hazards may arise from spillages of 

work-related materials, bird/bat droppings near air 

intakes or the growth of microbial contamination in 

ductwork. Detailed advice on the cleaning of ventilation 

systems has been published by a number of 

bodies including the Chartered Institution of 

Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) 

39. TEMPERATURE IN ROOMS 



ensure that - 

(a) during working hours, the temperature in rooms 

containing workstations is suitable for the 

persons at work, having regard to the working 

methods being used and the physical demands 

placed on them, 

(b) the temperature in rest areas, rooms for duty staff, 

sanitary facilities, canteens and first aid rooms is 

appropriate to the particular purpose of such 

areas, and 

(c) in relation to windows, skylights and glass 

partitions, excessive effects of sunlight are 

avoided, having regard to the nature of the work 

and the characteristics of the place of work 

The temperature in rooms in which employees work 

must be adequate having regard to: 

the indoor or special work clothing normally 

worn by the employees, 

the physical activity involved in the work, 



other elements of the thermal environment, 

such as radiant heat, humidity and air 

movement, 

the need for any special conditions arising 

from, or required for, the work being carried out 

such as heat, cold, humidity etc. 

In cases where it is difficult to maintain an adequate 

overall temperature, it may be necessary to provide 

effective local heating, protective clothing or 

cooling at individual workstations. 

Care needs to be taken with temporary heaters so as 

to prevent burns from contact with hot surfaces.No 

heating method should be employed which results 

in the escape into the air of any workroom of any 

fume of such character and to such extent as to be 

likely to be injurious or offensive to employees 

therein. 

The fact that a maximum temperature has not been 

specified in the Regulations does not mean that any 

temperature is acceptable. At high or uncomfortable 

temperatures, especially when not caused by 

temporary weather conditions, a means of cooling 

should be provided. 

The determination of appropriate temperatures is 

addressed in ISO standard 7730 – 

“Ergonomics of the thermal environment - 

Analytical determination and interpretation of 

thermal comfort using calculation of the PMV and 

PPD indices and local thermal comfort criteria” 

which is available as an Irish standard IS EN ISO 

7730:2005. This is a complex document most likely 

to be used at the design stage or during a technical 

investigation of a complaint. 

It is suggested that for most people an acceptable 

temperature for office work lies within the range of 

18 to 23 o C.Recommendations for different building 

uses are available in guidance from CIBSE. 

Advice on dealing with heat and cold stress is available 

from the American Conference of 

Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) or the 

British Occupational Hygiene Society. 

Workers are entitled to have some means readily 

available to them to measure the temperature. In 

practice, this means that if an employee wants to 

measure the temperature there will be a 

thermometer readily available. 

In parts of the place of work other than workrooms, 

such as sanitary facilities or rest facilities, the 

temperature should be reasonable in all the circumstances 

including the length of time people are 

likely to be there. Changing rooms and shower 

rooms should be adequately heated. 

Excessive heat from the sun shining through 

windows, skylights or glass partitions must be 

avoided. This can be achieved by various means 

including internal blinds, external blinds, use of lowemissivity 

glass, white-washing of windows etc. 

The ACGIH recommend special protection of the 

hands to maintain manual dexterity and prevent 

accidents if fine work has to be performed with bare 

hands for more than 10 to 20 minutes in an environment 

below 16 o C.Clearly, the precautions must take 

account of the work hazards, i.e. gloves may be 

appropriate for some applications but not others. 

58 


PART 5 

EXPLOSIVES 

40. APPLICATION OF PART 5 


43. This Part shall apply to the storage, transport, 

use and disposal of explosives at a quarry. 

The availability of commercial explosives is 

regulated under the Explosives Act 1875 and associated 

Explosives Regulations. Explosives are strictly 

controlled and a person may not import, store or 

manufacture explosives without a license issued by 

the Department of Justice,Equality and Law Reform. 

Transport and sale of explosives is also controlled 

by detailed regulations. 

Explosives in relation to the Explosives Act 1875 

include: 

commercial or industrial explosives (such as 

detonators, boosters, detonating cord, ANFO 

and cartridged explosives) 

propellants (such as shooter’s powder, black 

powder) 

pyrotechnics (such as marine distress flares, 

industrial pyrotechnic cartridges and fireworks) 

Certain substances such as ammonium nitrate, 

sodium chlorate, potassium nitrate and sodium 

nitrate also come under the control of the explosives 

regulations, as they are deemed to be explosives 

for the purposes of the Explosives Act. 

This part deals with the safe use of explosives at a 

quarry. It does not deal with issues around the 

importation of commercial explosives, granting of 

blasting permits, the transport of explosives to or 

from the quarry or issues in relation to security. 

These matters are the remit of other departments 

and/or agencies. 

The operator’s key responsibility regarding the use 

of explosives,as in relation to other risks,is to ensure 

that all work with explosives is properly planned, 

managed, co-ordinated and supervised. The duties 

placed on the operator reflect this. This is the case 

whether shotfiring operations are undertaken by a 

quarry employee or by a specialist blasting 

contractor. 

41. APPOINTMENT OF EXPLOSIVE 

SUPERVISORS, SHOTFIRERS AND 

STOREKEEPERS 


44. 

(1) The operator shall - 

(a) appoint one or more competent persons as 

explosives supervisors at the quarry and 

obtain confirmation of acceptance of such 

appointments in writing, 

(b) ensure that, at any given time, there is only 

one person acting as the explosives super 

visor at the quarry, 

(c) appoint one or more competent persons as 

shotfirers and trainee shotfirers at the quarry, 

(d) appoint, where necessary, one or more 

competent persons as storekeepers to 

ensure the safe storage and transport of 

explosives at the quarry, and 

(e) ensure that a record of the appointment at 

the quarry of any explosives supervisor, 

shotfirer and storekeeper is kept at the 

quarry or some other suitable place for the 

period of his or her appointment and for 3 

years following the termination of his or her 

appointment. 

(2) Nothing in these Regulations shall prevent a 

person appointed as quarry manager under 

Regulation 10(1)(a) from being appointed as 

explosives supervisor or shotfirer, or both, under 

this Regulation, provided that he or she is 

competent to discharge those functions. 

Appointments and authorisations 

The shotfiring rules and procedures at the quarry 

must set out arrangements for the appointment of 

explosive supervisors, shotfirers, trainee shotfirers, 

other persons such as sentries and, where appropriate, 

storekeepers for work with explosives at the 

quarry. The operator, or the blasting contractor if 

there is one, may make these appointments and 

authorisations depending on what is required by 

the shotfiring rules. All such appointments must be 

in writing and records of such appointments kept. 


PART 5 

EXPLOSIVES 

41.1 Explosives Supervisor 

The requirement to appoint an explosives supervisor 

is effective as and from the commencement 

date of the Quarries Regulations, with an 18 month 

lead-in period in relation to the holding of a skills 

registration card. The explosives supervisor is the 

person in overall day-to-day charge of work with 

explosives at a quarry. Provided the individual is 

competent the explosives supervisor can be the 

quarry manager, another manager or supervisor on 

site, the shotfirer or a blasting contractor, one of the 

contractor’s employees or an outside consultant. 

The operator must be satisfied that an explosives 

supervisor has sufficient practical and theoretical 

knowledge and experience for the work he or she is 

expected to do.To obtain the necessary theoretical 

knowledge, an explosives supervisor needs as a 

minimum to have successfully completed a course 

of training covering: 

(a) blast calculation and design; 

(b) ground vibration and air blast overpressure; and 

(c) shotfiring. 

It is recognised that there are a number of persons 

who will be required to receive the training set out 

above and a lead-in period of 18 months following 

the commencement of these Regulations is set to 

allow time for training to be provided. 

A quarry may require more than one explosives 

supervisor to cover all the work, for example, where 

blasting takes place on several shifts or where a 

blasting contractor is appointed and a number of 

their representatives are authorised to be the explosives 

supervisor at the quarry. If this is necessary for 

the working of the quarry: 

(a) only one person may act as the explosives 

supervisor at any one time; 

(b) all explosives supervisors must be familiar with 

the shotfiring rules and the site, as far as that 

relates to the safe use of explosives; and 

(c) there needs to be good communication and coordination 

between them, for example, to deal 

with any hand-over or maintenance issues. 

41.2 Appointment of Shotfirer 

The operator must ensure that shotfiring operations 

are carried out by a competent shotfirer or by a 

trainee shotfirer acting under the close personal 

supervision of a shotfirer. 

The procedure for appointing shotfirers is required 

to be detailed in the Shotfiring Rules and a record 

of the appointment is required to be kept at the 

quarry for at least 3 years after that shotfirer ceases 

shotfiring operations at that quarry. Where a 

blasting contractor is to provide the shotfirer then 

each shotfirer they intend to use must be duly 

authorised and hold the required skills registration 

card after the date by which it is required. The 

operator should also take reasonable steps, such as 

obtaining a relevant career history, to ensure that 

the shotfirer is competent and has relevant and 

recent experience. 

Training of shotfirers 

All shotfirers must possess sufficient practical and 

theoretical knowledge and experience to perform 

their full range of duties. Shotfirers should not be 

appointed unless they have successfully completed 

a recognised course of training. A trainee shotfirer 

must work under the personal supervision of an 

experienced shotfirer, until the necessary competence 

has been acquired and demonstrated. 

Figure 35: Survey instruments 

60 


PART 5 

EXPLOSIVES 

41.3 Blasting Contractors 

The operator may appoint a blasting contractor to 

carry out some or all of the explosives work 

including fulfilling the role as explosives supervisor, 

shotfirer etc. The operator is, nevertheless, always 

responsible for the overall management of the 

quarry and the safe transport, use, security and 

disposal of explosives at the quarry.The operator is 

similarly responsible for the shotfiring rules, and 

blast specifications,even if the explosives supervisor, 

a contractor or outside consultant draws them up. 

Although the legal duties relating to explosives are 

placed on the operator, the blasting contractor also 

has a legal responsibility to ensure compliance with 

the relevant Regulations. 

42. STORAGE, TRANSPORT, USE AND 

DISPOSAL OF EXPLOSIVES 



(a) so far as is reasonably practicable, all explosives 

are stored, transported, used and disposed of 

safely and securely, 

(b) operations involving the storage, transport, use or 

disposal of explosives are carried out by, or under 

the close personal supervision of, persons 

appointed under Regulation 44, 

(c) such facilities and equipment as are necessary to 

enable shotfiring operations to be carried out 

safely are provided, 

(d) any vehicle that is provided for use in relation to 

shotfiring operations is safe for use and so 

marked during such use as to be readily 

identifiable from a distance, 

(e) detonators are stored and transported in 

separate containers from other explosives, and 

(f) explosives are kept at all times in a locked 

explosives store or under the close supervision of 

a suitable person. 

42.1 Custody of Explosives 

Explosives must be taken into custody or issued 

only to an authorised person, such as the shotfirer 

or trainee shotfirer who is under the direct supervision 

of a shotfirer. They must remain under the 

control of such a person at all times. Detonators 

must be stored and transported in separate 

containers from other explosives. 

Containers for detonators must be fitted with secure 

locks. Electric detonators must be stored so that 

they are electrically isolated, with no part of the 

detonator or lead wires exposed to conducting 

material. The container must be lined with shock 

absorbing, anti-static material, kept clean and used 

only for detonators. Containers should be unlocked 

for as short a time as possible; only while detonators 

are actually being inserted or removed.Other explosives 

must be carried in the manufacturer’s 

packaging or container before use. 

Where deliveries of explosives (including detonators) 

are made directly to the blast site, the shotfirer 

needs to check the delivery note to ensure that the 

quantities are correct, sign for them and ensure that 

they are not left unattended. 

The detonators must be transferred to suitably 

constructed detonator containers as soon as 

possible. To enable accurate record keeping, the 

delivery note needs to be passed onto the explosives 

supervisor. 

42.2 On Site Security of Explosives 

At the time of preparation of this guidance there are 

no quarries that have operational explosive stores 

on site. This guidance takes cognisance that this 

situation may alter and guidance relating to explosive 

stores is included for information purposes. 

The arrangements and responsibilities for the 

storage and security of explosives on site must 

minimise the risk of loss or theft. Requirements 

regarding the security of explosives at a particular 

site may be set out in the stores explosive license if 

one is held. Advice regarding on site security of 

explosives should be sought from An Garda 

Siochana and the Department of Justice, Equality 

and Law Reform. 

The explosives supervisor should authorise persons 

who may handle explosives at a quarry.The keys to 

any explosive store must be kept safe at all times, 

either in the custody of the explosives supervisor, 

shotfirer or explosives storekeeper, or in a secure 

place.To ensure the safety and security of the explosives 

there should be appropriate arrangements for 


PART 5 

EXPLOSIVES 

authorising all movements of explosives to and 

from the place of use. 

The duties of the storekeeper in charge of the explosives 

store (where storage is licensed) include: 

the security and safe storage of explosives, 

including detonators; 

the custody of keys; 

record keeping; 

the issue and receipt of explosives; and 

reporting any loss or theft of explosives 

immediately to a designated person. 

42.3 Use of Vehicles to Transport Explosives 

at the Quarry 

Parts of vehicles where explosives are carried must 

be kept clean and free from grit. Detonators must 

be kept and transported in appropriate containers 

and enclosed in a strong, locked compartment 

when they are being carried on a vehicle.Explosives 

must be loaded safely so that they cannot fall out of 

or off the vehicle. 

Anything that may create a fire or detonation risk 

must not be carried on a vehicle containing explosives, 

ammonium nitrate fuel oil mixtures or 

emulsion explosive matrix. Anything else which is 

carried, must be safely stored, normally in suitable 

separate compartments or containers. It is good 

practice to ensure that only essential shotfiring 

equipment (circuit - testers, stemming rods, 

shotfiring cable and tools for removing surplus 

explosives) is carried on such vehicles. 

All vehicles transporting explosives (including 

detonators) in the quarry must be provided with 

suitable fire extinguishers. They must also be easily 

recognisable from a distance,for example,by means 

of signs, distinctive flashing lights or flags. 

Trailers must have efficient brakes and a properly 

designed rigid tow bar with a safety chain, which 

will cause the brake to be applied in the event of 

separation. 

42.4 Provision and Maintenance of Equipment 

The equipment provided for shotfiring operations 

must be suitable and properly maintained. 

Inspection and maintenance arrangements must be 

set out in the quarry inspection scheme in Part 3, 

Section 16 of this guidance. 

The explosives supervisor should also check that the 

equipment provided is suitable and safe.Any equipment 

the explosives supervisor does not believe is 

safe should be taken out of use. 

Shotfiring equipment 

Circuit-testers must be capable of measuring the 

resistance of the circuit without any adverse effect 

on the detonators. Exploders and circuit testers 

need detailed inspection, including appropriate 

testing, at periods specified by the manufacturer or 

every six months whichever is the shorter. Such 

inspection is also needed after any significant repair 

or unexplained misfire. 

The inspections and tests should be designed to 

ensure that exploders and circuit testers are in good 

order and meet their designed performance ratings 

and that exploders can fire shots up to their rated 

capacities. A record of the results of any inspections 

and tests must be retained for a period of six years. 

Tools used for piercing cartridges,mixing explosives 

or in shotholes (e.g. for charging, stemming, testing 

or removing explosive) must be made of nonsparking 

materials such as wood, anti-static plastic 

or non-ferrous metal. 

Electric detonators must not be used inside 

shotholes where there is a risk of premature detonation 

due to the build up of static charge. This is an 

issue when, for example, shotholes are lined with 

plastic sleeves or where rigid plastic containers are 

used, unless the lining is anti-static. 

Explosives mixing trucks must be earthed during 

mixing and transfer operations to dissipate static 

charges. A device for removing excess 

emulsion/slurry should be provided. 

Delay detonators should be clearly marked with the 

period of delay when supplied. This period should 

also be marked on the detonator lead. 

42.5 Disposal of Surplus and/or Deteriorating 

Explosives 

Serious incidents have occurred during the destruction 

of packaging due to the presence of explosive 

cartridges, detonating cord or detonators. Serious 

incidents have also occurred during the intentional 

destruction of surplus explosives and detonators 

62 


PART 5 

EXPLOSIVES 

when manufacturer’s instructions and guidelines 

were not strictly adhered to. 

There should be arrangements in place to check that 

no explosive material remains hidden or lodged within 

any packaging before the disposal of any packaging 

commences. The disposal of packaging, surplus and 

deteriorating explosive must be carried out in strict 

accordance with the manufacturers/ suppliers instructions 

and guidelines.These instructions and guidelines 

are required to be contained in the operator’s 

shotfiring rules in the quarry safety statement. 

43. SHOTFIRING RULES 


46. The operator shall ensure that suitable shotfiring 

rules are made and complied with. Such rules 

shall set out procedures for the following: 

(a) shotfiring operations at the quarry, 

(b) appointing explosives supervisors, shotfirers, 

trainee shotfirers and storekeepers, 

(c) authorising other persons who will be involved 

with the storage, transport, use or disposal of 

explosives, 

(d) dealing with misfires, 

(e) disposing of surplus explosives, detonators, 

accessories and packaging. 

The shotfiring rules are the practical operating 

procedures, which are in place to ensure that 

shotfiring operations take place at a quarry with 

regard to the safety of the workforce and the public. 

The rules need to take account of local circumstances, 

such as any risk of accidental initiation due 

to static electricity, radio frequency transmitters, 

electrical powered plant and overhead power lines. 

If there is such a risk, a suitable method for initiation 

must be chosen.Shotfiring rules should be available 

at the quarry and copies given to those who have 

duties under them. The operator must ensure that 

arrangements are made to monitor compliance with 

the rules.The rules need to cover arrangements for: 

(a) the appointments and authorisation of explosive 

supervisors, shotfirers, trainee shotfirers, storekeepers 

(where storage is licensed) and others 

working with explosives; 

(b) the explosives supervisor to check that: 

(i) the equipment provided is suitable and 

safe; and 

(ii) site conditions are in line with the blast 

specification before working with 

explosives; 

(c) times when shotfiring is permitted; 

(d) the determination of the danger zone likely to 

be created by the firing of each shot, the 

evacuation and control of the danger zone and 

the provision of effective shelters when a shot 

is tested or fired; 

(e) warning systems including, as appropriate: 

(i) the use of flags or notices; 

(ii) a system of audible signals to warn people 

to withdraw from the danger zone and to 

give the all clear; 

(iii) the posting of sentries; 

(f ) inspection of the blast site after firing to check 

the state of the face and whether a misfire has 

occurred; 

(g) ensuring that normal working is resumed only 

when the shotfirer is fully satisfied that it is safe 

and the all clear is sounded; 

(h) safeguarding charged, but unfired shotholes at 

the end of the working day.These arrangements 

should ensure that someone is in attendance, 

or within sight of the charged holes at 

all times to prevent theft or unauthorised 

initiation of the explosives (including 

detonators); 

(i) dealing with misfires and the discovery of 

unfired explosives from previous operations. 

There must always be a competent person 

available, normally the explosives supervisor, to 

ensure that any misfire is dealt with safely; 

(j) safe disposal of surplus explosives (including 

detonators) that may remain after completion 

of shotfiring; and 

(k) monitoring arrangements to ensure the rules 

are complied with. 


PART 5 

EXPLOSIVES 

44. BLASTING SPECIFICATION 

(Regulations 47) 


(a) an adequate written blast specification, including 

identification of the danger zone based on an 

assessment of the risks, is prepared by the 

explosives supervisor for each shotfiring 

operation at the quarry to ensure that, so far as is 

reasonably practicable, when such shotfiring 

occurs, it will not give rise to danger, and 

(b) a copy of any relevant information contained in the 

blast specification referred to in paragraph (a) is 

given to any person upon whom it imposes duties 

The purpose of the blasting specification is to 

minimise the risk associated with the firing of shots. 

The blasting specification must be specific to each 

blast, to take account of site conditions.The specification 

should be designed to: 

minimise the risk of flyrock being projected 

outside of the declared danger zone; 

minimise the risk of misfires 

enable the location of any misfired shots to be 

accurately determined; and 

ensure, where possible, that faces are left in a 

safe condition after a blast. 

The specification should take account of: 

(i) experience gained from previous blasts at the 

quarry; 

(ii) any unusual circumstances which are present or 

likely to arise; and 

(iii) the design of the excavation. 

The following matters need to be addressed when 

planning, preparing for and undertaking a blast: 

1. The location of the area to be blasted in the 

quarry must be specified; 

2. A drilling plan should be prepared showing the 

hole positions, the length, diameter and the 

angle of inclination of each hole and direction to 

which the drill is to be set for each hole; 

3. The surface position and number or other 

identifier for each shothole; 

4. The angle of inclination, direction, length and 

diameter of, and extent of any sub grade drilling 

for each completed shothole; 

5. The burden around each shothole should be 

adequately determined.Where this cannot be 

done safely from the top or base of the quarry 

face it must be determined by surveying/ 

profiling or by other remote means by which a 

person is not placed at a risk of falling or being 

struck by falling objects from the face or the 

bench. Surveying/profiling of the working face 

to establish burdens is not mandatory. Its use is 

based on a risk assessment by the explosive 

supervisor/shotfirer in order to determine the 

likelihood of hazardous flyrock. 

The risk assessment should take into account the 

following factors: 

control measures required to ensure the safety 

of persons determining the burden from either 

the top or bottom of the quarry face; 

height of the face; 

planned burdens and spacings; 

diameter, angle and azimuth of the shotholes; 

type and quantities of explosive used and the 

initiation systems; 

geology of the face and the history of the 

quarry in relation to geologoical anomalies; and 

proximity of the public, dwellings, roads, railway 

lines, commercial buildings or other places of 

work to the blast area. 

6. Any geological anomalies, which could affect 

the blast, in particular those identified during 

drilling and inspection.These might include the 

presence of cavities, clay bands, joint planes, 

bedding planes or discontinuities; 

7. Using the available information, particularly 

that from items 4, 5 and 6, shown using plans 

and sections, the burden for each shothole 

should be determined and consequently the 

amount, type and placement of explosives to 

be used, so that the blast can be carried out 

safely; 

64 


PART 5 

EXPLOSIVES 

8. The amount, type and position of explosives, 

the description and position of any detonator 

and the type and position of any stemming 

actually used for each shothole; 

9. The system of initiation, including full details of 

any delay sequence and timing; 

10. The danger zone, shotfiring position and sentry 

positions should be determined; 

11. The date and time of the blast and prevailing 

weather conditions. 

The blast specification should record information on 

all of these matters. 

Figure 36: Damage caused by Fly-rock. 

45. SHOTFIRING OPERATIONS 



(a) so far as is reasonably practicable, each shotfiring 

operation is carried out safely and in accordance 

with the shotfiring rules and blast specification, 

(b) all shotfiring operations are carried out under the 

close personal supervision of the shotfirer, 

(c) a trainee shotfirer at the quarry does not fire 

shots, except when - 

(i) he or she is under the close personal 

supervision of a shotfirer, or 

(ii) the operator is satisfied that he or she- 

(I) has completed a suitable period of training, 

(II) has appropriate practical experience, and 

(III) is competent, 


(d) records of all shotfiring operations carried out at 

the quarry are kept. 

Shotfirers must ensure that all shotfiring operations 

(as defined) are conducted in accordance with the 

shotfiring rules and the blast specifications. 

Explosives mixed under licence on site must comply 

with the conditions set out on the licence. They 

must be mixed where they are to be used and only 

in sufficient quantities for immediate use. 

The shotfirer must be fully satisfied that each 

shothole has been drilled and charged in accordance 

with the blast specification. Where pumped 

emulsion explosives are used the rise of the explosives 

in holes should be checked at regular intervals 

to ensure the shothole is being correctly charged. 

If it is not possible to conform to the specification, 

or the danger zone appears to be different from that 

shown, shotfiring operations should be suspended 

until any change to that specification has been 

authorised by its author or other designated person. 

The shotfirer should only connect a tester to a 

shotfiring circuit when ready to test or fire the shot. 

The exploder should be disconnected immediately 

after firing or in the event of an unsatisfactory test 


PART 5 

EXPLOSIVES 

on the firing circuit. Only the shotfirer should be 

able to operate the exploder. 

All persons must obey any relevant instructions in 

relation to shotfiring operations, for example, from 

the shotfirer or sentries.Sentries are there to prevent 

persons entering the danger zone and must not 

leave their post until the all clear signal has been 

given, or until released by the person who 

appointed them. 

46. DUTIES OF EXPLOSIVES SUPERVISOR 

AND SHOT FIRER 


49. 

(1) The explosives supervisor at the quarry shall - 

(a) advise the operator as to the observance of 

the relevant statutory provisions in relation 

to the storage, transport, use and disposal of 

explosives at the quarry, 

(b) organise and supervise all work involving 

the storage, transport, use and disposal of 

explosives at the quarry, 

(c) based on an assessment of the risks, prepare 

in writing a blast specification for each 

shotfiring operation which, so far as is 

reasonably practicable, shall ensure that, 

when shotfiring occurs, it will not give rise to 

danger, 

(d) ensure that, prior to shotfiring operations 

being carried out, he or she is familiar with 

the area that may be affected by the 

shotfiring operations, inspects the face to be 

blasted and is satisfied that the blast 

specification is adequate, 

(e) ensure that no person carries out any work 

in relation to explosives unless they are 

trained, adequately supervised and 

instructed to do so, and 

(f) ensure that all equipment to be used in 

shotfiring operations is suitable, safe and 

adequately maintained. 

(2) The explosives supervisor and the shotfirer at a 

quarry shall carry out any shotfiring operations in 

accordance with the shotfiring rules and blast 

specification. 

(3) Before a shot is fired, a shotfirer shall - 

(a) ensure that no person is within, or may enter 

within, the danger zone specified in the blast 

specification when the shot is being fired, 

(b) check the shotfiring system or circuit to 

ensure that it has been connected correctly, 

(c) where electrical detonators are used, ensure 

that they have been correctly connected to 

the shotfiring system or circuit and that the 

shotfiring system or circuit is tested with an 

instrument suitable for the purpose, 

(d) where appropriate, ensure that the electrical 

integrity of the shotfiring system or circuit is 

such as to make a misfire unlikely, and 

(e) ensure that a warning signal is given and 

that the shot is fired from a safe place. 

(4) After a shot is fired, a shotfirer shall - 

(a) ensure that no person enters within the 

danger zone specified in the blast 

specification until the all-clear signal is given, 

(b) inspect the blast site to check the result of 

the blast, the condition of the face and 

whether any misfire has occurred, 

(c) report immediately any hazardous 

conditions or misfires to the operator and 

the explosives supervisor, and 

(d) ensure that normal working is resumed only 

when he or she is satisfied that it is safe to 

do so. 

This regulation pulls together the requirements to 

ensure safety in relation to shotfiring operations and 

clearly states the duties assigned to the explosives 

supervisor and shotfirer involved. The explosives 

supervisor must ensure the overall safety of the 

shotfiring operation and advise the operator in 

relation to compliance with the regulations. The 

explosives supervisor must be familiar with the area 

to be blasted and must ensure that the blast specification 

is appropriate during blast design and 

before the shot is fired. 

The explosives supervisor must ensure that no 

unauthorised person carries out any work in relation 

to explosives and that the operating procedures, 

shotfiring rules and prepared blast specification are 

followed. 

66 


PART 5 

EXPLOSIVES 

The shotfirer will be in charge of the physical 

loading of the blast and must ensure that all 

shotfiring operations are carried out in accordance 

with the shotfiring rules and prepared blast specification 

for each blast. Any deviation or alteration of 

the blast specification during the loading of the 

blast must be approved by the explosives supervisor 

before the shot is fired.The physical integrity of 

the blast is the responsibility of the shotfirer. 

Connections must be checked immediately before a 

blast to ensure the integrity of the system and to 

minimise the risk of a misfire. Where in-hole initiation 

is used, i.e.with the detonator placed inside the 

hole, two detonators are recommended for each 

deck or column of explosives to minimise the possibility 

of a misfire occurring. This is because faulty 

detonators cannot be easily identified or recovered. 

Before a shot is fired, a shotfirer must – 

(a) check the shotfiring system or circuit to ensure 

that it has been connected correctly; 

(b) where electrical detonators are used, ensure 

that they have been correctly connected to the 

shotfiring system or circuit and that the 

shotfiring system or circuit is tested with an 

instrument suitable for the purpose; 

(c) where appropriate, ensure that the electrical 

integrity of the shotfiring system or circuit is 

such as to make a misfire unlikely; 

(d) ensure that an adequate danger zone is 

established, cleared and sentries appointed to 

prevent inadvertent access; and 

(e) ensure that the shot is fired from a safe place. 

The danger zone should be as large as reasonably 

possible and should ensure that materials from the 

blast are not projected beyond it. 

Figure 37: Drilled Face 

After the shot is fired, the shotfirer must – 

ensure nobody enters the danger zone until 

the all clear signal is given, 

inspect the blast to ensure that all holes have 

fired and that no misfires have occurred, 

ensure that the quarry face and sides are in a 

safe condition 

establish that material did not project beyond 

the danger zone 

If during the course of an inspection of the blasted 

area, or at some later date, it is discovered that 

materials were projected beyond the defined danger 

zone for that blast and that persons,either employed 

at the quarry or other persons who may be affected, 

were placed at risk of injury then the details must be 

recorded on the blasting records. As soon as is 

reasonably practicable the explosives supervisor 

must investigate the cause of such projection of fly 

rock and ensure that all measures are taken to 

prevent re-occurrence at subsequent blasts. 

47. MISFIRES 


50. In the event of a misfire, the operator, in 

consultation with the quarry manager (if not the 

same person), shall ensure, so far as is reasonably 

practicable, that - 

(a) no person, other than himself or herself, the 

explosives supervisor, the shotfirer, any 

trainee shotfirer or any other person authorised 

by him or her, enters the danger area - 

(i) where the shot was fired by means of safety 

fuse, until a period of 30 minutes has 

elapsed since the misfire, or 

(ii) where the shot was fired by other means, 

until a period of 5 minutes has elapsed since 

the misfire and any shotfiring apparatus has 

been disconnected from the shot, 

(b) appropriate steps are taken to determine 

the cause of the misfire and to deal with it, 


(c) a suitable record is kept of the misfire and 

any action taken. 


PART 5 

EXPLOSIVES 

All misfires must be investigated to determine the 

cause and to enable action to be taken to avoid a 

recurrence. A record should be kept of all misfires; 

the blasting specification endorsed with details of 

any misfire would be a suitable record. 

Any misfire resulting in injury requiring medical 

treatment to persons within or outside the quarry 

boundaries either workers, contractors or members 

of the public should be reported to the Authority on 

Form IR1“Reporting of Accident”as required by the 

Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General 

Application) Regulations. 

48. PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES 


51. 

(1) No person, other than - 

(a) a person engaged in the transport of 

explosives or detonators to or from a quarry, 

(b) an explosives supervisor, 

(c) a shotfirer or trainee shotfirer, 

(d) a storekeeper, or 

(e) any other person authorised by the operator 

to do so 

shall handle explosives or detonators at a quarry. 

(2) No person shall bring any substance or article 

(other than explosives) likely to cause an 

unintended explosion or fire within 100 metres of 

any explosives or (except for the purpose of 

lighting igniter cord or safety fuse) take any 

naked flame within 100 metres of any explosives 

at a quarry. 

(3) No person shall forcibly remove any detonator 

lead, safety fuse or other system for initiating 

shots from a shothole at a quarry after the 

shothole has been charged and primed. 

(4) No person shall charge or fire a shot - 

(a) unless there is sufficient visibility to ensure 

that work preparatory to shotfiring, the 

shotfiring operation and any site inspection 

after the shot is fired can be carried out 

safely, or 

(b) in a shothole in which a shot has previously 

been fired, unless he or she is dealing with a 

misfire in accordance with action taken 

under Regulation 50(b). 

(5) No person shall fire a shot at a quarry - 

(a) unless he or she is an explosives supervisor, 

shotfirer or trainee shotfirer within the 

meaning of these Regulations, or 

(b) other than by means of a suitable exploder 

or suitable safety fuse. 

(6) No person shall cap a safety fuse with a 

detonator unless he or she is using equipment 

designed for the purpose and he or she is in a 

suitably sheltered place designated by the 

operator for the purpose. 

(7) No person, other than an explosives supervisor, a 

shotfirer or trainee shotfirer, shall dispose of 

surplus explosives, detonators, accessories or 

packaging remaining following shotfiring 

operations at a quarry. 

No unauthorised person can handle explosives or 

detonators or be involved in any way in the 

shotfiring operations.The shotfirer must be present 

during all charging and firing operations. 

Detonators, other explosives and charged holes 

must not be left unattended.All detonators must be 

locked in their containers when not in use. Any 

surplus explosive (including detonators) must be 

removed from the blast area before any attempt is 

made to fire the shot.The shotfirer must ensure that 

surplus explosives are not left unattended. Surplus 

explosives should be returned to the explosives store 

or returned to the manufacturer/supplier.Where this 

is not possible the explosives should be destroyed 

by the shotfirer in accordance with the manufacturer’s/supplier’s 

instructions and guidance. 

Safety fuse needs to be of such quality that the rate of 

burning is between 90 and 110 seconds for each 

metre of fuse. It is recommended that a shotfirer 

should not attempt to ignite more than six lighting 

points at any one time.When igniter cord is being used 

to connect lengths of safety fuse,the initiation system 

should be such that the last length of safety fuse has 

started to burn before the first detonation occurs. 

68 


PART 5 

EXPLOSIVES 

It is recommended that: 

Explosives or detonators should not be carried 

on one’s person, in pockets or in clothing; 

Explosives and detonators should remain in 

their containers until they are required; and 

Explosives are not used on or inside machinery 

or used for clearing blockages except where all 

other means, for example, hydraulic breakers, 

have failed and the explosives are used in 

accordance with the manufacturer’s/supplier’s 

guidance. 

Explosives and detonators should not be taken into 

a room or other place where people congregate, or 

where there is a possible source of ignition, for 

example, from machinery, electrical equipment or a 

naked flame. 

Blasting Times 

A blast should not be carried out if there is insufficient 

visibility to carry it out safely. Any local 

authority conditions or advice on the timing of 

blasts should be complied with. Where there are 

private houses, schools, businesses etc situated 

close to the quarry it is good practice to notify the 

occupants of blasting times. 


PART 6 EXCAVATIONS INCLUDING (QUARRY FACES), TIPS & LAGOONS 

49. INTRODUCTION TO THIS PART 

Persons in or near a quarry should not be at risk due 

to the collapse of a quarry face or from the 

movement of all or part of an excavation, tip or 

lagoon. The appraisals and assessments, which are 

explained in the following Sections, are tools to 

ensure that this general objective is achieved. The 

flowchart in figure 43 explains the relationship 

between the appraisal and assessment requirements. 

Excavations 

The term ‘excavation’ for the purpose of this 

guidance, includes any place at a quarry where 

minerals are or have been extracted. In particular, it 

includes the floor, benches, faces and sides of a 

quarry and any other incline, for example, access 

ramps and other cuttings which are made for the 

extraction of minerals. 

Tips 

All tips, including stockpiles are covered in this 

Section.Tips will include, accumulations or deposits 

of materials used in connection with the quarry,spoil 

heaps and all material stored in the quarry for 

refilling the excavation or landscaping the site after 

excavation, stockpiles of materials for later 

processing or sale, amenity and soil bunds. 

Lagoons 

Lagoon means any natural or artificial pond or other 

water filled excavations at a quarry to treat the water 

at the quarry where sunlight, bacterial action and 

oxygen work to purify waste water and also include 

the storage or ponding of other wastewaters, 

sludges and liquid wastes. 

"geotechnical specialist" means a professional 

engineer or professional geologist who - 

(a) has 3 or more years relevant experience in soil 

mechanics, rock mechanics or excavation 

engineering, 

(b) is competent to perform a geotechnical 

analysis to determine the hazard and risk 

arising from the excavation or tip being 

assessed, and 

(c) has attained a position of professional 

responsibility and is accredited by a relevant 

professional organisation; 

"hazard" in relation to an excavation, tip or lagoon 

means having the potential to cause harm to the 

safety, health or welfare of any person; 

50. GENERAL DUTY TO ENSURE SAFETY OF 

EXCAVATIONS, TIPS AND LAGOONS 


52. The operator shall ensure that excavations 

(including quarry faces), tips and lagoons are 

designed, constructed (in relation to tips and lagoons), 

operated and maintained so as to ensure, so far as is 

reasonably practicable, that instability or movement 

which is likely to give rise to a risk to the safety, health 

and welfare of any person is avoided. 

All excavations, tips and lagoons must be designed, 

constructed and maintained to ensure their safety. 

The measures taken to reduce the risk should be 

proportionate to the hazard posed. In the case of a 

very small face, tip, or lagoon this will usually be 

minimal. While a full geotechnical assessment will 

only be required on certain excavations, tips or 

lagoons the operator must ensure that they are all 

properly designed and constructed. 

The design and operating procedures for excavations, 

tips and lagoons must aim to minimise the risk 

to persons at the quarry and those who may be 

affected by its activities.This includes persons at the 

quarry who need access to potentially hazardous 

areas for the purposes of carrying out inspections 

and assessments. Key operating instructions and 

safe procedures must be set out in the excavations, 

tips and lagoons operating procedures. 

The inspection scheme should include the data 

obtained from the design, normal operations, 

inspection, appraisal and assessment work. 

Any excavation, tip or lagoon, which move are 

potentially unsafe. Appropriate procedures should 

be implemented immediately to determine the risk 

and required remedial action. This will involve 

reappraisal or reassessment as soon as possible. 

70 


PART 6 EXCAVATIONS INCLUDING (QUARRY FACES), TIPS AND LAGOONS 

50.1 Design of Excavations,Tips and Lagoons 

When a new tip, excavation or lagoon is to be 

created it is necessary to carry out planning and 

design to ensure it can be developed without 

becoming a significant hazard both during its 

construction and during its subsequent use. To 

ensure that all hazards have been evaluated it will 

be necessary to carry out a site investigation. 

A site investigation should include any relevant 

historical information about the site and its 

surroundings and should be carried out before 

starting a new excavation, tip or lagoon. The 

purpose of this is to ensure a design which is safe 

and enables safe operation. See Schedule 3 of the 

Regulations at Appendix 3. 

If all relevant data is not available or is not reasonably 

accessible additional investigations may be 

required or extra caution may be required to be 

built into the design, particularly if the information 

is critical.The design should conform to good 

engineering practice and relevant standards. 

Slopes should be so designed to provide stability 

throughout their life. The risk of failure of the 

excavation, tip or lagoon should be assessed to 

ensure the design provides an adequate margin 

of safety. 

The excavation, tip or lagoon may need to be reassessed 

and redesigned as a result of information 

obtained during routine working, inspection, 

appraisal or geotechnical assessment. Simple 

management procedures are, therefore, needed to 

ensure that any such information relevant to the 

design is reviewed. 

Where an appraisal of an existing excavation, tip 

or lagoon indicates that there could be a concern 

that may constitute a significant hazard at a later 

date it may be necessary to carry out a site investigation 

if such information is not already available 

in order to ascertain if a geotechnical assessment 

is required. 

Where a proposed excavation, tip or lagoon is 

likely to constitute a significant hazard and will 

require a geotechnical assessment it is strongly 

recommended that a geotechnical specialist is 

involved in the design stage. In such cases, the 

original design, appraisal and assessment may be 

amalgamated and the design documentation may 

form the assessment report provided it addresses 

all the relevant matters covered by Schedule 3 of 

the Regulations. 

The maximum safe height of excavated faces is 

influenced by the geology and physical properties 

of the material, the size, height and type of 

machinery and working methods used. However, 

where the face height exceeds 20 metres a 

geotechnical assessment is required. Generally, 

the lower the face, the easier it is to safely manage 

and maintain it. In operations involving unconsolidated 

materials the height of the face should be 

based on risk assessment which includes the 

physical properties of the materials worked, 

particularly its natural angel of repose and the 

extraction methods used. 

Figure 38: Horizontally bedded strata 

Figure 39: Steeply dipping strata 



50.2 Working Excavations, Tips, and Lagoons 

Excavations, tips and lagoons should be developed 

in accordance with the design. Procedures should 

be in place to ensure proper control of any design 

changes.These may be included in the safety statement 

or in the excavations, tips and lagoons procedures. 

Working methods should avoid creating 

vertical faces or overhangs which constitute a risk 

of collapse. Re-profiling or digging material from a 

tip also needs particular attention as it can lead to 

instability. 

Extra care is required when extracting material 

below water due to the risk of collapse. Areas liable 

to be affected are hazardous and should be treated 

appropriately. 

Additional precautions may be required to prevent 

risks arising where tipping and removal from a stockpile 

take place simultaneously.For example,a tipping 

area must not be undermined by removal of material. 

Stockpiles 

It is important to remember that the legal term ‘tip’ 

includes stockpiles. These can be as hazardous as 

other tips, and so they too need to be properly 

designed and operated. The excavations, tips and 

lagoons safe operating procedures are the key to this. 

Frequent geotechnical assessment may be necessary 

for very large potentially hazardous stockpiles. 

Walls or other supports provided to contain stockpiles 

should be designed by a competent person and 

considered as part of the stockpile during appraisal or 

assessment. Stockpiles which are not free draining 

should be provided with additional drainage. 

Market conditions may affect the size of a stockpile. 

If this happens the stability of the stockpile should 

be reassessed. 

Adjacent stockpiles can have an effect on each 

other,particularly where they overlap.The adequacy 

of traffic routes for vehicles should also be considered 

when planning the position and size of stockpiles. 

In particular, the risk of collision can be 

minimised by ensuring a clear view for drivers. 

51. OPERATING PROCEDURES FOR 

EXCAVATION, TIPS AND LAGOONS 


53. The operator shall ensure that suitable operating 

procedures are in place for the safe operation of 

excavations, tips and lagoons and that such 

procedures, in particular, specify - 

(a) the manner in which such activities are to be 

carried out, 

(b) the nature and extent of supervision of such 

activities, and 

(c) the protective measures to be taken during 

such activities to ensure the safety, health 

and welfare of any person and the safety 

and stability of the excavation,tip or lagoon. 

These procedures are essential for the proper 

management of excavations, tips and lagoons.They 

are the practical measures to ensure the safety of 

persons in the vicinity. They should offer straightforward 

practical guidance. 

The frequency of inspection of excavations, tips and 

lagoons is covered by the inspection scheme 

required under Section 16 of this guidance. These 

inspection arrangements may be incorporated into 

the operating procedures. 

If a geotechnical specialist has been involved in the 

design, or has carried out a geotechnical assessment, 

their recommendations should be taken on 

board when preparing safe operating procedures. 

Operating procedures should specify the manner in 

which the excavation, tip or lagoon will be 

constructed and managed to ensure safety. They 

need to address, where relevant: 

(a) the maximum depth/height; 

(b) the preparation necessary (for example the 

standard of foundations required for a tip); 

(c) the provision of drainage (particularly under, in 

and on tips) and how it is installed, maintained 

and inspected; 

(d) the height and slope of faces and the thickness 

of the layers in which a tip is constructed; 

(e) the type of plant and machinery used; 

72 



(f ) the construction standards for roadways and 

arrangements to prevent tipping vehicles 

driving or reversing over edges, including the 

size and shape of edge protection; 

(g) the supervision needed to ensure that work is 

carried out in accordance with the design; 

(h) what to do if particular defects are found. (This 

should take into account the extent of the 

defect, the working methods, the nature of the 

material and the proximity and vulnerability of 

neighbouring structures and personnel.); and 

(i) the way material may be removed from the 

excavation, tip or lagoon, if relevant, including 

the maximum vertical working face height 

which may be created or left at the end of the 

working period. 

The operating procedures for excavations should 

also address: 

The sequence in which the site will be excavated; 

The frequency of inspection, appraisal and 

assessment, 

The maintenance arrangements for faces, for 

example mechanical scaling. 

The operating procedures for tips should also 

address, in the case of solid tips, the degree of 

compaction required for tipped material. 

The operating procedures for lagoons should also 

address, as relevant: 

(a) the provision of emergency overflows; 

(b) minimum freeboard heights; 

(c) the operation or maintenance of pumps; 

(d) procedures to allow materials to be recovered 

safely from lagoons; and 

(e) procedures when covering lagoons. 

52. APPRAISAL AND SITE INVESTIGATION 

OF EXCAVATIONS, TIPS AND LAGOONS 


54. 

(1) Subject to paragraph (2), the operator shall 

ensure that, before quarrying operations 

commence or re-commence in a particular area 

in the quarry, a suitable appraisal of all proposed 

and existing - 

(a) excavations, 

(b) tips, and 

(c) lagoons 

in that particular area is undertaken by a 

competent person in order to determine whether 

any such excavation, tip or lagoon represents a 

significant hazard, or a potential significant 

hazard. 

(2) Where the face height of an excavation in a 

particular area of the quarry planned to be 

worked exceeds 20 metres, the operator shall 

ensure that, before quarrying operations 

commence or re-commence in that particular 

area, a geotechnical assessment is carried out in 

accordance with Regulation 55. 

(3) Where an appraisal by a competent person under 

paragraph (1) identifies a significant hazard that 

cannot be rectified immediately in a safe manner, 

the operator shall ensure that the provisions of 

subparagraphs (a) to (c) of paragraph (5) are 

complied with. 

(4) Where an appraisal by a competent person under 

paragraph (1) identifies a potential significant 

hazard that cannot be rectified immediately in a 

safe manner, the operator shall ensure that - 

(a) the provisions of subparagraphs (a) and (b) 

of paragraph (5) are complied with, and 

(b) a geotechnical specialist carries out a site 

investigation to determine whether a 

geotechnical assessment under Regulation 

55 is required. 

(5) Where the conclusion reached by the 

geotechnical specialist, following a site 

investigation made under this Regulation, is that 

the excavation, tip or lagoon represents a 

significant hazard, the operator shall ensure that - 

(a) appropriate protective measures are taken, 

including informing all persons affected by it, 

(b) only work that can be carried out safely is 

undertaken at the excavation, tip or lagoon, 


(c) a geotechnical assessment is carried out in 

accordance with Regulation 55. 




(a) 

(b) 

any significant findings, and 

any conclusions reached and the reasons 

for those conclusions made under an 

appraisal or a site investigation pursuant to 

this Regulation are recorded by the 

competent person or the geotechnical 

specialist, as the case may be. 

An appraisal is intended to be a straightforward 

exercise to determine which excavations tips and 

lagoons, proposed or existing, would pose a significant 

risk if they failed, or in the case of a tip or 

lagoon, move significantly more than that allowed 

in the design, and so merit an assessment by a 

geotechnical specialist. The relationship between 

the appraisal and assessment are illustrated in the 

flow chart in figure 43. 

Some appraisals will only identify those hazards 

from isolated minor failures, such as falls of a 

single rock or a small amount of sand. A geotechnical 

assessment does not focus on such hazards. 

While isolated falls of ground can be serious, they 

can generally be rectified immediately and be 

adequately controlled by routine daily inspection, 

use of appropriate equipment and working 

methods. 

The appraisal should be carried out with enough 

detail and sufficient expertise to decide, on the 

basis of the guidance in this Section, if an excavation, 

tip or lagoon poses a significant risk from 

collapse or movement. It is not normally necessary 

for appraisals to be carried out by a geotechnical 

specialist, though advice from one is appropriate 

where the level of hazard is unclear. 

When carrying out an appraisal there is no need 

to duplicate work already done, as long as all the 

matters detailed in this Section are adequately 

addressed. In some cases it is obvious that any 

failure of an excavation, tip or lagoon could prove 

fatal, for example, an excavation, or tip or lagoon 

near a public roadway, house or above quarry 

offices. In these cases the initial appraisal can be 

very brief as a geotechnical assessment by a 

geotechnical specialist will be needed. 

Areas where no one is at risk from a collapse of 

part of an excavation must be included in the 

appraisal because failure in such areas could affect 

the stability of the remainder of the excavations. 

Appraisal of such areas may also provide information 

relevant to the safety of other parts of the 

excavation. 

Among other things, the appraisal should take 

account of the material to be excavated or tipped, 

its structure, water content/drainage, the 

proximity of watercourses, roadways, workplaces, 

residential accommodation or abandoned 

workings, and any evidence or history failures.The 

matters covered in inspections are also relevant. 

Significant hazard 

To determine if the hazard is significant or potentially 

significant it is necessary to consider how an 

excavation, tip or lagoon might feasibly fail and 

the likely consequences of any such failure. The 

likely consequences are crucial when deciding if a 

particular hazard is significant. The probability of 

such a failure actually happening is not relevant 

in this context. The consequences depend on the 

likely scale of the failure and the area that could 

be affected by it, and whether people are likely to 

be injured. 

The hazard should be considered significant or 

potentially significant if such a failure would directly 

or indirectly, be: 

liable to endanger premises, roadways or other 

places where people are likely to be found offsite; 

or 

likely to cause serious or fatal injuries to 

persons on or off-site. 

If the degree of hazard is not clear and the excavation, 

tip or lagoon is not in the categories 

described in the “Excavations” or “Tips/Lagoons” 

Sections overleaf, the advice of a geotechnical 

specialist should be sought. 

Where a geotechnical specialist has been involved 

in design work or in geotechnical assessments he 

or she may provide written, practical guidance on 

what constitutes a significant hazard or potential 

significant hazard in the context of that particular 

site. Any such guidance should explain the basis on 

which it was produced. 

74 



Figure 40: Flowchart of the appraisal & assessments of excavations, tips and lagoons 

(Competent Person) 

Does/ will the proposed or 

existing excavation, tip or lagoon 

create a significant (or potential 

significant)hazard on or off site? 

Review 

APPRAISAL 

No 

Yes 

Carry out next appraisal when specified 

or in the event of change or discovery 

likely to significantly increase hazard. 

No 

Does the geotechnical 

specialist agree that the hazard 

is likely to be significant? 

Or face height exceeds 

20m? 

Yes 

Complete geotechnical assessment 

Prepare/review design & working methods, 

rules, inspection scheme/reports 

Identify any necessary remedial measures 

Prepare report 

Geotechnical 

assessment 

Carry out next assessment when specified 

or in the event of change or discovery likely 

to significantly increase hazard 



Figure 41: Significant Hazard – loose blocks above 

working area 

Figure 42: Significant Hazard – unstable stockpile 

recovery face 

Such site-specific guidance may be followed for 

future appraisals, subject to limitations specified, in 

preference to the generic guidance in the Tips and 

Excavations Sections. Any such guidance should be 

made available to those carrying out appraisals and 

needs to be reviewed in the light of changes or new 

information. 

Properly validated analytical techniques for calculating 

the hazard created by excavations, tips and 

lagoons may also be used to determine the significance 

of the hazard. Such techniques can also be 

useful in prioritising work. 

Where an appraisal of any excavation, tip or lagoon 

identifies a potential significant hazard that can not 

be rectified immediately, the operator must engage 

a geotechnical specialist to carry out a site investigation 

to establish if a full geotechnical assessment 

is required. 

Even where a significant hazard or potential significant 

hazard can be rectified immediately by the 

operator, it may still be necessary to have a site 

investigation and/or a geotechnical assessment 

carried out to identify what caused the development 

of the hazardous condition, what if any effects 

it had or may have on the overall stability of the 

excavation, tip or lagoon and what actions are 

needed to prevent reoccurrences. 

Excavations 

Where the appraisal of the excavation carried out by 

a competent person identifies a significant hazard 

that can not be rectified immediately a geotechnical 

assessment will be required.The following list gives 

examples of where this may be necessary: 

(a) in the case of moderately weak or stronger rock 

which is normally excavated using explosives or 

saws - 

(i) the vertical height of any individual face is more 

than 20 metres, or 

(ii) where multiple benches are present and bench 

widths or the overall face angle may be 

inadequate to ensure quarry stability; or 

(b) In the case of weak or very weak rocks and 

engineering soils, (for example clay or sand and 

gravel deposits), where the vertical height of any 

excavation exceeds 7.5 metres and the overall 

face angle is steeper than a suitable angle to 

ensure safety (see figure 44); or 

(c) Irrespective of any excavation face height, 

depth or angle, other factors, for example, the 

geology, location or proximity of a tip, location 

or proximity of infrastructure or private lands 

means that there is a significant hazard as 

described in that Section of this guidance. 

Tips/Lagoons 

Where the appraisal of the tip/lagoon carried out by 

a competent person identifies a significant hazard 

which can not be rectified immediately a geotechnical 

assessment will be required. The following list 

gives examples of where this may be necessary: 

(a) in a wholly, or mainly, solid state and not in 

solution or suspension (i.e. not likely to flow if 

not contained); and - 

76 


x 


(i) the area of the land covered exceeds 10,000 

square metres, or 

(ii) the height of the tip exceeds 20 metres, or 

(iii) the average gradient of the land covered by the 

tip exceeds 1 in 12; or 

(b) a lagoon containing any liquid or material 

wholly, or mainly, in solution or suspension (likely 

to flow if not contained); and - 

(i) the contents of any lagoon are more than 4 

metres above the level of the land which is 

within 50 metres of its perimeter, or 

(ii) the contents of the lagoon exceed 10,000 cubic 

metres, or 

(c) irrespective of the size of the tip/lagoon, other 

factors, for example, the geology, location or 

proximity to an excavation, mean that there is a 

significant hazard or potential significant hazard 

as previously detailed. 

h> m? 

: h> m but < m 

& x steeper than 45 o (ie, 1v:1h)? 

h> 30m? 

Figure 43: Criteria for 

significant hazards. 

h 

h 

x 

ROCK 

h 

30m 

h> 30m? 

: h>= 7.5m & x >=27 o (ie, 1v:2h)? 

h 

30m 

SOIL 

h 

h>15m? 

a(=area covered by tip/stockpile) 

a>10,000m 2 

SOLID TIP/STOCKPILE 

x 

Q11:x>5 (ie, 1v:12h)? 

h>4m? 

50m 

C>10,000m 2 

h 

CONTAINMENT 

BUND 

c (= content of tip * ) 

LIQUID TIP 

*ie. excluding containment bund 



Recording and reviewing the appraisal 

Records of the conclusions of appraisals are required 

to be kept available at the quarry.The conclusions of 

the appraisal should be included in the safety statement. 

Where the excavation, tip or lagoon is considered 

to be unsafe, or likely to become unsafe in the 

near future,there should be a clear recommendation 

as to what action should be taken and when. Little 

needs to be recorded in other cases where the 

appraisal is to be followed by a geotechnical assessment. 

Where there is no significant hazard, the detail 

should be sufficient to explain the conclusions and 

how they were reached. 

The appraisal should be reviewed at appropriate 

intervals and in particular in light of: 

significant changes to working methods; 

experience of the geology and hydrology on site; 

changes outside the site which significantly 

increase the hazard, for example, the 

construction of houses or roadways near the 

boundary; 

evidence of significant failure or movement; or 

discovery of incorrect assumptions or errors in 

the appraisal. 

53. GEOTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT 


55. 

(1) In this Part “geotechnical assessment” means an 

assessment carried out by a geotechnical specialist 

identifying and assessing all factors liable to affect 

the stability and safety of a proposed or existing 

excavation, tip or lagoon and shall include - 

(a) preparation by or under the supervision of 

the geotechnical specialist or, as appropriate, 

consideration by the geotechnical specialist 

of the documents and particulars specified in 

Schedule 3, 

(b) the conclusions of the geotechnical specialist 

as to - 

(i) the safety and stability of the existing or 

proposed excavation, tip or lagoon being 

assessed, including his or her conclusions as 

to whether the excavation, tip or lagoon 

represents a significant hazard by way of 

instability or movement, 

(ii) whether any remedial works are required in 

relation to the excavation, tip or lagoon being 

assessed and the date by which such works 

should be completed, 

(iii) the date by which the next geotechnical 

assessment should take place, and 

Figure 44: Illustration of the terms ‘overall 

face angle’,‘individual face’,‘toe’ and ‘crest’. 

Crest 

D 

Crest 

A 

Bench 

B 

Toe 

A - Individual Face Height 

B - Overall Quarry Height 

C - Individual Bench Width 

D - Individual Face Angle 

E - Overall Face Angle 

Individual 

Face 

Overall Face Angle 

Toe 

E 

C 

78 



(iv) where appropriate, any required changes to 

the operating procedures in respect of the 

excavation, tip or lagoon. 


(a) any significant findings made during a 

geotechnical assessment required under 

Regulation 54, any conclusions reached in 

accordance with paragraph (1)(b), and the 

reasons for those conclusions are recorded by 

the geotechnical specialist undertaking the 

assessment, 

(b) the geotechnical specialist signs and dates 

any such record and records his or her 

professional qualifications thereon, 

(c) (i) any information available that may be 

relevant for the purposes of a geotechnical 

assessment is made available to the 

geotechnical specialist undertaking that 

assessment, and 

(ii) sufficient records are kept of the nature, 

quantity and location of all substances 

accumulated or deposited at a tip, excavation 

or lagoon to enable an accurate assessment 

of the stability of that tip, excavation or 

lagoon to be made, 

(d) any remedial works identified during the 

geotechnical assessment in accordance with 

paragraph (1)(b)(ii) are undertaken by the 

date specified or before quarrying operations 

are resumed, 

(e) where the conclusion reached by a 

geotechnical specialist in accordance with 

paragraph (1)(b) is that there is no significant 

hazard- 

(i) the geotechnical specialist specifies the 

frequency with which appraisals under 

Regulation 54 are to be conducted in the 

future in order to ensure the continued safety 

and stability of the excavation, tip or lagoon, 


(ii) a record of that specification is made by the 

geotechnical specialist, and 

(f) copies of all geotechnical assessments are 

kept at the quarry for inspection and are 

retained by the operator for at least 10 years 

from the date they were made. 

A geotechnical assessment means an assessment 

carried out by a geotechnical specialist identifying 

and assessing all factors liable to affect the stability 

and safety of a proposed or existing excavation,tip or 

lagoon. A geotechnical assessment may be 

preceeded by a site survey and site investigation to 

establish critical information to assist in any full 

geotechnical assessment which may include: 

1. Site survey 

An accurate plan prepared on a scale not less than 

1:2500 showing: 

(i) the boundaries of any quarry or premises upon 

which the excavation, tip or lagoon or proposed 

excavation, tip or lagoon is to be situated; 

(ii) the site of any excavation, tip or lagoon or 

proposed excavation, tip or lagoon; 

(iii) any adjoining land or structures which might be 

affected by the excavation, tip or lagoon or 

proposed excavation, tip or lagoon; and 

(iv) all mine workings (whether abandoned or not), 

buried quarry workings, known cave systems, 

active or former landslips, springs, artesian wells, 

watercourses and other natural or man-made 

features (including tunnels. pipes or culverts 

which might affect the safety of the excavation, 

tip or lagoon which might be relevant for the 

purpose of determining whether excavations or 

tipping operations can be carried out safely). 

The plan should be contoured to an ordinance datum 

at a vertical interval not greater than 5 metres and 

orientated to and correlated with the ordinance 

survey national grid and marked with squares corresponding 

to the 100 metres squares shown in 

ordinance survey sheets on the scale of 1:2500. 

2. Site investigation 

A record of all relevant site investigation information 

including surveys,tests,bore-holes and groundwater 

measurements made for the purpose of the geotechnical 

assessment together with the results of any 

testing including the strength of materials within and 

beneath the tip,lagoon or within the excavated slope. 

The record must include any known historical information 

relevant to the site investigation. 

3. Cross-sections based on site investigation 

Sufficient accurate cross-sections on a scale not less 



detailed than 1:1250 of the site of the excavation,tip 

or lagoon or proposed excavation, tip or lagoon 

showing the existing ground surface and all 

relevant superficial materials and bedrock underlying 

the said site and: 

(a) any variation in the thickness, level or character of 

the superficial deposits and bedrock materials 

based on the site investigation; and 

(b) the position of any surface, whether natural or 

manmade, which may affect the safety of the 

excavation, tip or lagoon or proposed excavation, 

tip or lagoon. 

4. Plans based on site investigation 

Plans showing the position of all bore-holes,wells and 

trial pits used in the site investigation and the 

location and levels of all materials and surfaces which 

may affect the safety of an existing or proposed 


5. Assumptions made before analysis 

A record of any assumptions relevant to the assessment 

of ground conditions relating to the safety of 

the excavation,tip or lagoon or proposed excavation, 

tip or lagoon made by the geotechnical specialist, 

including a record of any relevant information which 

was not available when undertaking the assessment. 

6. Findings of the analysis 

A record of the calculations carried out in order to 

determine the design or safety of the excavation, tip 

or lagoon,including any variables or parameters used 

in those calculations and the reasons for using them 

and the findings of those calculations expressed as 

the factor of safety or the probability of failure or 

other recognised basis of assessing stability. 

7. Design coming out of the analysis 

An accurate plan on a scale not less detailed than 

1:2500 recording: 

(a) in relation to tips/lagoons or proposed tips/ 

lagoons, the design of the tip/lagoons, including 

the areas of land covered or to be covered, the 

gradients of that land, the designed contours at 

vertical intervals not more than 2 metres, the 

side slopes and boundaries of the tip and the 

designed position and nature of any 

construction of any wall or any other structure 

retaining or confining the tip; and 

(b) in relation to excavations or proposed 

excavations, the design of the excavations, 

including the height or proposed height of the 

slope, the position and width of any benches 

and representative contours of the excavation at 

vertical intervals of not more than 5 metres. 

8. Requirements during and after construction 

A record of the nature and extent of inspection, 

supervision and safety measures necessary to ensure 

the safety of the excavation,tip or lagoon and a specification 

of necessary engineering works and safety 

measures. A record of the action to be taken 

regarding defects specified in the report. 

The operator must ensure that any information 

available to him or her, which may be relevant for 

the purposes of a geotechnical assessment, is made 

available to the geotechnical specialist undertaking 

that assessment. 

The operator must ensure that any remedial works 

identified during the geotechnical assessment are 

undertaken by the date specified. 

The geotechnical assessment should also cover 

similar topics to the appraisal but in greater depth 

and more detail. 

It is important to ensure that the design, normal 

operation,inspection,appraisal,site investigation and 

assessment work are not carried out in isolation from 

each other.Information gained as a result of all these 

activities needs to be shared. 

The report needs to be presented in a form that will 

help the operator to manage the safe development 

and continued operation of the excavation, tip or 

lagoon and to organise appropriate inspections. 

Operators need to ensure that geotechnical specialists 

who conclude that an excavation tip or lagoon is 

not a significant hazard clearly explain the basis for 

their judgement. Where a tip and/or lagoon is near 

the crest of an excavation, the tip and/or lagoon and 

the excavation must be considered together. 

Geotechnical specialist 

The level of expertise required to carry out a geotechnical 

assessment depends on the complexity of the 

site and properties of the materials being worked, 

tipped or stored. The geotechnical specialist must 

have sufficient expertise and practical experience of 

80 



similar conditions to adequately assess the safety of 

the excavation, tip or lagoon and the precautions 

required to make and keep it safe. 

The operator must ensure that any remedial work 

identified during a geotechnical assessment is carried 

out by the date specified by the geotechnical 

specialist. When deciding how long to allow for 

remedial measures, the geotechnical specialist 

should consider the risk involved.The greater the risk, 

the sooner the work needs to be completed. 

53.1 Operator’s duties in relation to Excavations, 

Tips and Lagoon which are a Significant Hazard. 

Excavations tips and lagoons that constitute a significant 

hazard must be subject to further geotechnical 

assessment at least once every two years. The 

date by which the next geotechnical assessment is 

to be carried out must be specified in the geotechnical 

specialist’s report. 

Some excavations, tips and lagoons will require more 

frequent geotechnical assessment. This may include 

spoilheaps and backfill where large quantities of 

material are deposited and/or excavated at a high rate. 

Review 

Further geotechnical assessments must be carried 

out at least every 2 years or as specified by the 

geotechnical specialist or in the event of: 

(a) significant changes to the working methods; 

(b) new information about the geology or 

hydrology of the site; 

(c) changes outside the site which significantly 

increase the hazard, for example, the 

construction of houses or roadways near the 

boundary; 

(d) evidence of significant failure or movement; or 

(e) discovery of incorrect assumptions or errors in 

the site investigation and/or assessment. 

Wherever possible such assessments should be 

undertaken before any significant change,but where 

this is not possible they must take place as soon as 

reasonably practicable. 

A change to the excavation or the tip itself, for 

example, in design, method of working, material 

tipped, may significantly increase the hazard.In each 

case a further geotechnical assessment must be 

carried out.This may also be required if fundamental 

assumptions in the geotechnical assessment are 

found to be incorrect, for example, regarding the 

geology of the site. 

A new development on land adjacent to an excavation, 

tip or lagoon, for example the construction of a 

school, housing estate or road, could significantly 

increase the hazard. Such changes are likely to be 

known well in advance and should be planned for. 

Reworking tips 

Tips which are subject to routine geotechnical assessment 

may be worked or used for landscaping. It is 

normally appropriate to consult a geotechnical 

specialist, when planning such operations, since 

significant movement is more likely to take place 

when a tip is disturbed. It is good practice to retain 

records of what material has been placed in a tip. 

53.2 Operator’s duties in relation to 

Excavations, Tips and Lagoon which are 

not a Significant Hazard. 

In some cases the hazards may be extremely low, for 

example tips/lagoons: 

which have been landscaped and the risks of 

failure are minimal, or 

which are immediately surrounded on all sides 

by higher stable ground, so that it is not possible 

for the tipped or stored material to move. 

Such tips/lagoons are not likely to require geotechnical 

assessment or further appraisal. 

Some such tips/lagoons may no longer be on quarry 

premises, for example, if they are part of a farm or 

industrial development,such tips/lagoons will not be 

subject to the Regulations and the only duty on the 

quarry operator is to make sure that they are safe 

when they are handed over to the farmer or developer. 

Since this does not mean that a tip/lagoon 

could not later become unsafe, any information 

which might assist a purchaser to identify and avoid 

risks needs to be passed on. 

53.3. Transitional Arrangements 

Where a report has been obtained that complies with 

the requirements of this Section and is less than two 

years old,that report will be treated as a geotechnical 

assessment for the purpose of this guidance and 

remains valid for a maximum of two years from the 

date when it was first made. 


PART 7 

AIR RECEIVERS 

54. APPLICATION 


56. In this Part “air receiver” means any of the 

following: 

(a) a vessel for containing compressed air and 

connected with air compressing plant, other 

than - 

(i) a pipe, 

(ii) a coil, or 

(iii) an accessory, fitting or other part of a 

compressed air plant, 

(b) a fixed vessel for containing compressed air or 

compressed exhaust gases and used for the 

purpose of starting an internal combustion 

engine, 

(c) a vessel forming part of the equipment of a 

vehicle at a quarry for containing compressed air 

and used to operate the braking system of the 

vehicle, 

(d) a vessel (not being part of a spraying pistol) used 

for the purpose of spraying, by means of 

compressed air, paint, varnish, lacquer or similar 

material, 

(e) a vessel in which oil is stored and from which it is 

forced out by compressed air. 

This sets out the meaning of an “air receiver” in 

relation to a quarry and equipment that might be 

found at a quarry. It includes what would traditionally 

be understood as air receivers and explicitly 

extends the meaning to cover several other vessels 

such as; vessels containing gases used to start 

engines and operating breaking systems, vessels 

containing paint, varnish, oil etc. 

55. SAFETY PRECAUTIONS 


57. 

(1) Subject to paragraph (2), the operator shall 

ensure that every air receiver at a quarry - 

(a) has the safe working pressure marked on it 

so as to be plainly visible, 

(b) in the case of an air receiver connected with 

the air compressing plant, is either 

constructed so as to withstand with safety 

the maximum pressure that can be obtained 

in the compressor, or is fitted with a 

reducing valve or other suitable appliance 

to prevent the safe working pressure of the 

air receiver being exceeded, 

(c) is fitted with a suitable safety valve adjusted 

so as to permit the air to escape as soon as 

the safe working pressure is exceeded, 

(d) is fitted with an accurate pressure gauge 

indicating the pressure in the air receiver, 

(e) is fitted with a suitable appliance for 

draining the air receiver, 

(f) is fitted with a blow-off cock through which 

any fluid that may have accumulated in the 

air receiver may be blown off, 

(g) is provided with a suitable manhole, 

handhole, or other means that will allow the 

interior of the air receiver to be thoroughly 

cleaned, and 

(h) in a case where more than one air receiver is 

in use at the quarry, bears a distinguishing 

mark that is easily visible. 

(2) The requirement of paragraph (1)(e) shall not 

apply to an air receiver referred to in Regulation 

56(d) or (e) and the requirement of paragraph 

(1)(g) shall not apply to an air receiver referred to 

in Regulation 56(c). 

(3) For the purpose of paragraph (1) relating to 

safety valves and pressure gauges and subject to 

paragraph (4), any set of 2 or more air receivers 

supplied with air through a single pipe may be 

treated as one air receiver. 

(4) In a case where a reducing valve or other suitable 

appliance to prevent the safe working pressure 

being exceeded is required to be fitted to a set of 

air receivers supplied with air through a single 

pipe, paragraph (3) shall not apply unless the 

valve or appliance is fitted on the single pipe. 

The provisions of Part 7 of these Quarries 

Regulations 2008 are identical to the corresponding 

provisions of the Quarries (General) Regulations 

1974 (S.I.No.146 of 1974),except that the obligation 

to comply with them is transferred from the quarry 

manager to the quarry operator. 

82 


PART 7 

AIR RECEIVERS 

The requirements for air receivers include; 

A safe working pressure is clearly marked, 

A safety valve is installed, 

The receiver is fitted with a suitable safety 

valve, 

The receiver is fitted with an accurate pressure 

gauge indicating the pressure in the receiver, 

The receiver is fitted with a suitable appliance 

for draining the receiver, 

The receiver is fitted with a blow-off cock, 

through which any fluid that may have 

accumulated in the receiver may be blown-off, 

The receiver is provided with a suitable 

manhole, handhole, or other means which will 

allow the interior of the receiver to be 

thoroughly cleaned, 

In a case where more than one receiver is in 

use at the quarry, each must bear a 

distinguishing mark that is easily visible, 

56. MAINTENANCE AND EXAMINATION 


58. 

(1) The operator shall take all practicable steps to 

ensure that every air receiver at a quarry and its 

fittings are of sound construction and properly 

maintained and that the blow-off cock fitted 

thereto is opened, while the plant is running, at 

least once in every working day. 

(2) The operator shall ensure that every air receiver 

at a quarry is thoroughly cleaned and examined 

by a competent person at least once in every 

period of 2 years, but in the case of an air receiver 

so constructed that the internal surface cannot 

be thoroughly examined - 

(a) the person making any such examination 

may specify in writing a period exceeding 2 

years but not exceeding 4 years within 

which the next examination is to be made,and 

(b) a suitable hydraulic test of the air receiver is 

carried out in lieu of the internal examination. 

(3) A person carrying out an examination and test 

under paragraph (2) shall - 

(a) promptly prepare a report containing the 

particulars as set out in Schedule 4, and 

(b) within 24 hours of completing the 

examination, provide the report, or a copy 

thereof, to the person on whose behalf the 

inspection was carried out. 

(4) Where a report under this Regulation specifies 

that the safe working pressure f the air receiver to 

which it relates is to be reduced, or that such air 

receiver cannot continue to be safely used unless 

specified repairs are carried out, the operator 

shall ensure that the air receiver is not used until it 

is rendered safe, and within 7 days of receiving 

the report, cause a copy of the report to be sent to 

the Authority. 

(5) If an inspector is not satisfied as to - 

(i) the competence of the person who carried 

out an examination under this Regulation, or 

(ii) the thoroughness of the examination 

carried out, he or she may require the air 

receiver to be re-examined by a competent 

person nominated by him or her, and the 

operator shall make the necessary facilities 

available for such re-examination. 

(6) If, as a result of any re-examination under 

paragraph (5) it appears that the report of the 

examination under paragraph (2) was 

inadequate or inaccurate in any respect, the cost 

of the re-examination shall be recoverable by the 

Authority from the operator as a simple contract 

debt in any court of competent jurisdiction and in 

any legal proceedings the report of the reexamination 

purporting to be signed by the 

person making it shall be received in evidence of 

the facts stated therein without further proof 

unless the contrary is shown. 

These provisions are generally self explanatory and 

set out the maintenance,inspection and examination 

regime required for air receivers used at a quarry or 

on vehicles and machinery at the quarry. It specifies 

that the operator must ensure that every air receiver 

and its fittings are of good construction and properly 

maintained. That the blow-off cock is opened once 

every day while the plant is running. 

It specifies that every air receiver at a quarry must be 

thoroughly cleaned and examined by a competent 

person at least once in every period of two years. 

Where the internal surface of an air receiver can not 

be examined this period of test may be extended by 


PART 7 

AIR RECEIVERS 

the competent person to up to 4 years, however a 

suitable hydraulic test must be carried out within 

that period. 

Every examination and test must be carried out by 

a competent person and a report (containing the 

items set out in Schedule 4 to the regulations 

(Appendix 4)) of the result of every such examination 

and test must be made in writing. The competent 

person must provide this report to the operator 

within 24 hours of the examination and test. 

Where it is specified that the air receiver can not 

continue to be used safely or that the safe working 

pressure is reduced the operator must prevent its use 

until it is made safe. Additionally, the operator shall 

forward a copy of any such report to the Health and 

Safety Authority within 7 days of receiving the report. 

Provisions also allow an Inspector of the Authority 

to have an air receiver re-examined and the cost of 

such re-examination is recoverable from the 

operator. 

84 


PART 8 GENERAL HEALTH HAZARDS 

57. HEALTH HAZARDS 


59. 

(1) The operator, where persons are liable to be 

exposed to any chemical, physical or biological 

hazard to such an extent as is liable to be 

dangerous to health, shall ensure that 

appropriate preventive measures are taken at the 

quarry against that exposure. 

(2) The preventive measures referred to in paragraph 

(1) shall include - 

(a) wherever possible, the replacement of a 

hazardous substance by a harmless or less 

hazardous substance, 

(b) technical measures applied to the plant, 

machinery, equipment or process, or 

(c) where it is not possible to comply with 

subparagraph (a) or (b), other effective 

measures, including the use of personal 

protective equipment and protective clothing. 

Workplace health covers a range of topics relating 

to the effect of work on health and wellbeing and 

vice versa and the emphasis is on prevention of illhealth 

due to work involving possible exposure to 

chemical, physical or biological hazards. Workers 

need to be able to work in an environment which 

does not compromise but rather protects and 

promotes their health. Also a worker’s individual 

health and wellbeing should not impact on work 

quality and productivity. 

Workplace health includes addressing physical 

issues such as manual handling and ergonomics, 

which if not properly managed can result in back 

and upper limb injuries. Other physical agents such 

as vibration, noise, non-ionizing radiation etc must 

be considered and managed by the operator so that 

the health of workers is protected. 

It also includes traditional workplace diseases such 

as dermatitis, asthma and noise induced hearing 

loss. In recent year’s psycho-social topics such as 

stress, bullying and behaviour at work have 

assumed an increased importance in protecting 

workers health and wellbeing. 

The last line of defense in relation to protecting 

workers health should be the consideration of 

personal protective equipment and clothing. 

58. ATMOSPHERIC INFLUENCES 


60. The operator shall ensure that persons working 

outdoors at the quarry are protected against atmospheric 

conditions that could affect their safety and 

health. 

This requires the operator to protect workers from 

atmospheric conditions which could adversely affect 

workers health and safety while working outdoors. 

This might rang from slippery conditions due to frost 

underfoot to possible effects of extended exposure 

to sunlight. This would also include possible health 

and safety effects arising from conditions such as 

excessive cold, heat, humidity etc. It would also 

extend to protecting workers from risks to their 

safety and health arising from heavy fog, low cloud, 

downpours of rain, sleet or snow all of which cold 

effect visibility; risks arising from storm conditions 

such as thunder, lightning and very strong winds 

would also need consideration. 

59. DISPOSAL OF WASTE 


61. The operator shall ensure that waste from the 

quarry is not - 

(a) destroyed, or 

(b) otherwise disposed of 

in a manner liable to be injurious to the safety 

and health of persons. 

This would cover a wide range of issues, everything 

from the destruction or disposal of waste packaging 

from explosives (dealt with earlier) to the destruction 

or disposal of waste oils,filters,brake pads,tyres, 

chemical drums, chemicals, waste water, sanitary 

waste, first aid waste, canteen waste, etc.. 

60. STATIONARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION 

ENGINES AND EXHAUST GASES 



(a) no stationary internal combustion engine is used 

at the quarry in any enclosed or confined place, 

unless specific provision is made for conducting the 

exhaust gases from the engine into the open air, or 


PART 8 

GENERAL HEALTH HAZARDS 

(b) any such enclosed or confined place is 

adequately ventilated so as to prevent danger to 

health from the exhaust gases. 

Exhaust gases from internal combustion engines 

will contain gases, fumes, particulates, etc. that 

may have both immediate and/or long term 

effects. 

This regulation requires the operator to ensure that 

all engine exhaust gases from stationary internal 

combustion engines in enclosed or confined places 

of work such as workshops are conducted to the 

open air so as to protect the safety and health of 

workers. One of the principal gases produced in 

engine exhaust is Carbon Monoxide, a poisonous, 

colourless, odourless, tasteless and non-irritant gas 

which is lighter than air and generated by incomplete 

combustion (due to lack of or insufficient 

oxygen mix). Carbon monoxide is created by the 

incomplete combustion of any carbon based fuel 

such as petrol, diesel, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) 

and is often referred to as a silent killer. 

The signs or symptoms of carbon monoxide 

exposure copy many common illnesses and can 

easily be confused with flu or simple tiredness. At 

low levels, carbon monoxide exposure may cause 

poor concentration, memory and vision problems, 

and loss of muscle coordination. At higher levels, it 

may cause headaches,fatigue,vomiting and nausea. 

At very high levels, the symptoms intensify and it 

can kill within a matter of hours. 

Carbon monoxide poisoning can be reversed if it is 

caught in time, however long term exposure to low 

levels of carbon monoxide may produce heart 

disease and damage to the nervous system. 

Exhaust gases from internal combustion engines 

also contain soot and carbon particulates which are 

carcinogenic and can have serious long term health 

effects if inhaled over extended periods. 

available before those persons are assigned to 

particular work activities in the quarry. 


Act 2005 requires employers to provide appropriate 

health surveillance for their employees, having 

regard to the risks they face. 

This regulation requires that a pre-employment 

medical examination is conducted in addition to the 

existing employment health surveillance. Health 

surveillance is also required when someone transfers 

to a new job within the quarry,if this means that 

they will be exposed to a different health risk, for 

example, if they begin work in a dusty or noisy area. 

Conducting health surveillance on someone before 

they begin to carry out a particular task provides a 

base line from which to determine the effect of 

health risks at the quarry. Routine health surveillance 

can ensure that adverse health effects are 

determined at an early stage to allow appropriate 

action to be taken. 

61. HEALTH SURVEILLANCE 


63. Where an employer at a quarry makes health 

surveillance available to persons at work in 

accordance with section 22 of the Act, he or she 

shall ensure that such health surveillance is made 

86 



62. SHELTERS AND ACCOMMODATION FOR 

CLOTHING AND FOR TAKING MEALS 


64. 

(1) The operator shall ensure that, subject to 

paragraphs (2) and (3), there is provided at or in 

the immediate vicinity of the quarry for the use of 

persons at work and conveniently accessible to 

them - 

(a) adequate and suitable enclosed 

accommodation for taking shelter during 

interruptions of work owing to bad weather 

and for depositing clothing not worn during 

working hours, being accommodation 

containing, where practicable, adequate 

and suitable means of enabling such 

persons to warm themselves and to dry wet 

clothing, 

(b) adequate and suitable accommodation for 

the deposit of protective clothing used for 

work and kept, when not in use, at or in the 

immediate vicinity of the quarry with such 

arrangements as are practicable for drying 

such clothing if it becomes wet, 

(c) adequate and suitable accommodation 

affording protection from the weather and 

including sufficient tables with 

impermeable surfaces and seats with backs 

for taking meals, 

(d) facilities for boiling water and, where there 

are more than 5 persons at work at a quarry 

and heated food is not otherwise available 

at the quarry, adequate facilities for heating 

food, and 

(e) an adequate supply of potable drinking 

water and possibly another suitable nonalcoholic 

beverage at a convenient point or 

convenient points. 

(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1), in determining 

whether accommodation is conveniently 

accessible, account shall be taken of any 

transport provided for the persons at work. 

(3) For the purposes of paragraph (1)(c), in 

determining whether accommodation of any 

kind provided in pursuance of that subparagraph 

at any time and place is adequate, account shall 

be taken of the number of persons at work who 

appear likely to use such accommodation at that 

time and place. 

(4) The operator shall ensure that all 

accommodation provided in accordance with 

this Regulation is - 

(a) properly ventilated, adequately lighted, kept 

in a clean, hygienic and orderly condition, 


(b) not used for the deposit or storage of 

materials or plant. 

Due to the outdoor nature of work at quarries 

operators are required to provide adequate and 

suitable accommodation for depositing clothing 

not worn at work and for taking shelter from bad 

weather.The accommodation should, where practicable, 

allow workers to dry wet clothing and warm 

themselves. Similarly the operator is required to 

provide accommodation for storage and drying 

personal protective equipment (PPE). 

The accommodation must be enclosed and provide 

protection from the elements with adequate tables 

and seating. Any seating provided should be 

suitable chairs with a back and not a bench. 

The employer is required either to provide suitable 

and adequate facilities to allow employees to eat 

and drink any meals or beverages, or to have 

arrangements in place to allow employees access to 

other suitable and adequate facilities (such as where 

there is a common facility shared by employees of a 

number of employers in or at the same location). 

Any facilities provided or made available for use by 

employees must have means for boiling water. 

Where more than 5 persons are at the place of work 

and hot food is not available at the quarry, the 

operator must provide a means of heating foods 

such as a microwave. 

The employer is required to provide an adequate 

supply of wholesome drinking water or other nonalcoholic 

beverages at locations within the quarry 

that are accessible to employees. The number of 

locations would be dependent upon the size of the 

quarry,the number of persons employed,the nature 

of the work and any requirement for the employee 

to remain at the workstation for sustained periods. 



Where drinking fountains are used, they should be 

of such design that the nozzle is shielded to protect 

it from contamination by the mouths of users. 

Facilities should be kept clean and hygienic with 

table and other surfaces easy to clean. Sitting facilities 

should have back supports and be in good 

condition and damaged tables or chairs should be 

replaced without delay. The area should have 

adequate ventilation, lighting and heating. Meals 

must not be taken in areas where there is a risk of 

contamination from substances used at work, 

vehicle fumes, etc. Such facilities must not be used 

for storage of any materials or plant. 

63. CHANGING ROOMS AND LOCKERS 


65. 

(1) An operator shall provide or cause to be provided - 

(a) appropriate changing rooms for persons at 

work if they have to wear special work 

clothes and if, for reasons of health or 

propriety, they cannot be expected to 

change in another area, which are - 

(i) easily accessible, 

(ii) of sufficient capacity, and 

(iii) provided with seating, 

(b) separate changing rooms or separate use of 

changing rooms for men and women, and 

(c) adequate provision for drying wet or damp 

work clothes. 

(2) If circumstances so require where work clothes 

are likely to be contaminated by dangerous 

substances, atmospheric conditions or the 

conditions of the place of work, the operator shall 

provide, or cause to be provided, facilities in 

changing rooms to enable working clothes to be 

kept in a place separate from personal clothing 

and effects. 

(3) If changing rooms are not required as referred to 

in paragraph (1), the operator shall ensure that 

every person at work is provided with a place to 

store his or her own clothes and personal effects. 

Changing rooms should be sufficiently large and 

have facilities to enable each person at work to lock 

away his or her clothes during working hours and if 

the nature of the work so requires (e.g. drilling, 

crusher station, mechanical maintenance, laboratory, 

etc.) separate lockers for work clothes should 

also be provided. 

When changing rooms are provided, they should: 

be readily accessible from workrooms, 

be provided in conjunction with any shower or 

bathing accommodation, and have easy 

communication with it, 

have easy communication with the clothing 

accommodation, 

contain adequate seating, 

be conveniently situated for the use of 

employees using facilities for taking meals. 

For offices workers and for certain other employees, 

satisfactory changing facilities may consist of 

separate pegs or hooks at least 31 cm apart laterally 

for each employee for outer clothing such as coats, 

coveralls or aprons, which can be changed in 

workrooms where there are no risks to health and 

safety. In addition, some provision for personal 

effects must be made. 

Provision needs to be made to dry clothing or 

overalls that have become damp due to the nature 

of the work. 

Where extensive changing is necessary,separate cloakroom 

facilities must be provided for men and women 

except when the facilities are provided in a room 

intended to be used by only one person, the door of 

which is capable of being secured from the inside. 

64. WASHING FACILITIES 


66. 

(1) The operator shall ensure that adequate 

and suitable facilities for washing appropriate to 

the numbers of persons at work and the duration 

of the work are provided at the quarry, including - 

(a) adequate troughs or washbasins having in 

every case a smooth impervious internal 

surface, 

(b) adequate and suitable means of cleaning 

and drying, being either soap and towels or 

other means, as the case may require, and 

88 



(c) a sufficient supply of hot and cold or warm 

running water. 


(a) washing facilities provided are conveniently 

accessible from the accommodation for 

taking meals and are adequately lighted, 

properly ventilated and are kept in a clean 

and orderly condition, 

(b) provision is made for separate washbasins, 

or separate use of washbasins for men and 

women when so required for reasons of 

propriety, 

(c) suitable showers in sufficient numbers are 

provided for persons at work, if required by 

the nature of the work or for health reasons, 

(d) provision is made for separate shower 

rooms or separate use of shower rooms for 

men and women, 

(e) the shower rooms are sufficiently large to 

permit each person to wash without 

hindrance in conditions of an appropriate 

standard of hygiene and such showers are 

equipped with hot and cold running water, 


(f) where the rooms containing showers or 

washbasins are separate from changing 

rooms, there is easy access between the two. 

To be adequate and suitable, facilities for washing 

should include running hot and cold,or warm,water 

as well as soap and clean towels (the single towel 

for use by many should be discouraged) or other 

suitable means of cleaning or drying.Washing facilities 

should be conveniently located, be near to the 

sanitary facilities and large enough to facilitate 

washing of face, hands and forearms. 

Separate washing facilities and/or showers should 

be provided for men and women except when the 

facilities are provided in a room intended to be used 

by only one person, the door of which is capable of 

being secured from the inside.Separate facilities are 

not necessary for washing the hands, forearms and 

face only. 

Hot water temperatures must be controlled so as to 

prevent scalding. 

Showers are necessary where workers are exposed 

to heavy physical work or to offensive/harmful 

substances where ongoing skin and hair contamination 

must be prevented. 

The provision of emergency showers is sometimes 

required under other legislation for first-aid 

purposes such as when handling acids or alkalis. 

Washing facilities should have adequate lighting, be 

sufficiently ventilated, adequately protected from 

the weather, appropriately maintained and kept 

clean. Employers may arrange amongst themselves 

to jointly provide and maintain facilities. 

65. SANITARY CONVENIENCES 


67. 

(1) The operator shall ensure that adequate and 

suitable sanitary conveniences appropriate to the 

number of persons at work at the quarry are 

provided. 


(a) every sanitary convenience, other than a 

convenience suitable only as a urinal, has a 

proper door fastening and is partitioned off 

to secure privacy, 

(b) every sanitary convenience required to be 

provided is sufficiently ventilated and does 

not communicate with any workroom or 

mess room except through the open air or 

through an intervening ventilated space, 

(c) every sanitary convenience is under cover, 

(d) the sanitary conveniences are so arranged 

as to be conveniently accessible to persons 

at work at all times while they are at the 

quarry and are, where practicable, 

convenient to the washing facilities, 

(e) provision is made for separate sanitary 

conveniences or separate use of sanitary 

conveniences for men and women, and 

(f) every sanitary convenience is maintained in 

a clean and hygienic condition. 

BS 6465-1:2006, “Code of practice for the design 

of sanitary facilities and scales of provision of 

sanitary and associated appliances” provides 

guidance for determining an adequate number of 

lavatories and washbasins. 



The tables below which relate to staff facilities in 

offices, shops, factories and other non-domestic 

premises are taken from the above standard. 

Other types of workplaces are also addressed in 

the publication. 

The numbers of employees mentioned below refer 

to the maximum number likely to be in the place of 

work at any one time. Where separate facilities are 

provided for a group of employees,for example men, 

women, office workers or manual employees, a 

separate calculation should be made for each group. 

If the work leads to heavy contamination of hands 

or forearms, the number of washbasins may need to 

be increased to 1 per 10 persons at work up to 50 

persons and 1 per 20 thereafter. 

Sanitary facilities which are not suitably mechanically 

ventilated, must not exit into any workroom 

except through the open air or through an intervening 

ventilated space. 

Sanitary facilities should be located either on the 

same floor in a place of work or either one floor 

above or below the place of work unless a 

passenger lift gives access to other floors. 

Separate sanitary facilities should be provided for 

men and women except when the facilities are in a 

room,lockable from the inside and accommodating 

one person only at a time. 

Toilets for staff should be in addition to and separate 

from toilets for other users. 

Figure 45: Tables of Provision of Sanitary Facilities 

Male and Female if no urinals are installed 

Number of people at work Number of water closets Number of washbasins 

1 to 5 1 1 

6 to 15 2 2 

16 to 30 3 3 

31 to 45 4 4 

46 to 60 5 5 

61 to 75 6 6 

76 to 90 7 7 

91 to 100 8 8 

Above 100 

8 +1 WC and washbasin per 25 persons or fraction thereof 

Alternative provision for male staff only if urinals provided 

Number of men at work Number of water closets Number of urinals Number of washbasins 

1 to 15 1 1 1 

16 to 30 2 1 2 

31 to 45 2 2 2 

46 to 60 3 2 3 

61 to 75 3 3 3 

76 to 90 4 3 4 

91 to 100 4 4 4 

Above 100 

4+ 1WC, urinal and washbasin per 50 males or fraction thereof. 

90 



Doors to WC compartments should be equipped 

with locks that can be easily operated by the user 

and readily released from outside in case of an 

emergency. 

WC compartments and urinals should not be visible 

from outside the toilets. 

WC compartments should be supplied with toilet 

paper and hooks so that clothing does not have to 

be placed on the floor. 

Female toilet compartments should be supplied 

with a suitable sanitary disposal unit. 

If WC bowl fittings become loose they need to be 

secured to prevent them falling over. 


Document M provides advice on sanitary conveniences 

designed for use by people with disabilities. 

66. SAFE ACCESS TO PLACES WHERE 

FACILITIES ARE PROVIDED 



(a) safe means of access and egress is provided 

and maintained to and from every place at 

which any facilities provided in accordance 

with this Part are situated, and 

(b) every such place is made and kept safe for 

persons using such facilities. 

The operator is required to provide and maintain 

access to and egress from any facilities provided 

under this part.Such assess and egress must be kept 

in a safe condition for persons using these facilities. 

This requires that the area around such facilities be 

kept clear with good underfoot conditions so as to 

minimise dirt entering facilities.Properly constructed 

steps and/or ramps should be provided and the 

placing of pallets,timber,loose blocks,etc which can 

cause persons to trip should not be used to provide 

access to facilities. 

67. PREGNANT WOMEN AND NURSING 

MOTHERS (Regulation 69) 

69. The operator shall ensure that pregnant women 

and nursing mothers at work at the quarry are 

provided with appropriate facilities as set out in 

other relevant legislation. 

The facility for pregnant women and nursing 

mothers should,when possible,be situated near the 

welfare facilities, i.e.toilet and washing facilities and 

be equipped to allow persons to lie down.Adequate 

space, heating and lighting are required. 

68. PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES 


70. The operator shall, where necessary, ensure that a 

quarry is organised to take account of persons at 

work with disabilities, in particular as regards 

doors, passageways, staircases, showers, 

washbasins, lavatories and workstations used or 

occupied directly by those persons. 

Accessibility for persons with disabilities is covered 

by Part “M” of the Building Regulations entitled 

“Access for People with Disabilities”. It is to ensure 

that as far as is reasonable and practicable,buildings 

should be usable by people with disabilities. It 

comes in three sections, which include access and 

use, sanitary conveniences and audience and 

spectator facilities. The Building Regulations apply 

to construction of new buildings after 1 January 

2001 and any extension work or renovations carried 

out after that date. 

In addition, certain parts of those Regulations apply 

to existing buildings where a material change of use 

takes place. Otherwise, the Building Regulations do 

not apply to buildings constructed prior to 1 June 

1992. Egress in the event of an emergency for 

people with disabilities is referred to in Technical 

Guidance Document B. 

Where the Building Regulations do not apply to 

existing buildings, safe access to, egress from and 

circulation within the workplace for employees with 

disabilities should be provided, as necessary.Access 

to all welfare areas should also be provided. 

Employers should ensure that adequate assistance 



should be provided for the safe evacuation of those 

with a disability in the event of an emergency. 

Guidance is also available in BS “5588: Fire precautions 

in the design, construction and use of buildings 

Part 8: Code of practice for means of escape for 

disabled people”. 

Due to the variety of design options in facilitating 

access and safety for people with disabilities, and 

the wide range of disabilities and their varying 

degrees of effect,specialist advice should be sought. 

The National Disability Authority has issued guidelines, 

for the built and external environment in a 

publication entitled,“Building for Everyone”. It may 

be contacted at the Authority’s offices at 25 Clyde 

Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 (01 - 6080400) or 

through it’s website at www.nda.ie. 

etc. This requirement does not apply to employees 

in offices or similar workstations where relaxation 

during breaks is provided for. 

If a canteen is used, employees who wear contaminated 

work clothes during their rest period should 

use a dedicated rest room rather than the canteen 

to avoid contaminating the canteen facilities. 

Canteens or restaurants may be used as rest facilities, 

provided that there is no obligation to purchase 

food in order to use them. 

If workers must frequently leave their work area for 

short periods, e.g., resetting equipment etc., there 

should be a suitable rest area provided where they 

may wait. 

69. REST ROOMS 



(a) where necessary, and in particular, where 

the number of persons at work requires it, 

they are provided with an easily accessible 

rest room, 

(b) rest rooms are large enough and equipped 

with tables, and with seats with backs, 

adequate for the number of persons at work, 


(c) if working hours are regularly and 

frequently interrupted and there is no 

specific rest room, other rooms are provided 

in which persons at work can stay during 

such interruptions, where this is required for 

their safety or health. 

The need to provide rest rooms would arise where 

arduous physical activity is involved or work in a 

hostile environment involving exposure to dust, 

fumes, noise or excessive heat or cold. The underlying 

principle is that employees should not spend 

all their time at work in damaging environments. 

Rest rooms should be provided away from work 

areas where the workstations or workrooms are 

dirty,contaminated,noisy or subject to disturbances, 

e.g. block plants, crusher houses, ready-mix plants 

92 


APPENDIX 1 

SCHEDULE 1 

(See Regulations 2(3) & 13(c )) 

QUARRIES SKILLS CERTIFICATION SCHEME 

1. 

(1) The requirement for the issue of a FETAC award 

under the Quarries Skills Certification Scheme (referred 

to in this Schedule as the “Scheme”) is successful 

completion of training under the Scheme in any of the 

following tasks: 

(a) slinging and signalling; 

(b) telescopic handler operation; 

(c) tractor and dozer operation; 

(d) mobile crane operation; 

(e) crawler crane operation; 

(f) articulated dumper operation; 

(g) site dumper operation; 

(h) 180° excavator operation; 

(i) mini-digger operation – where the person 

has not been trained in the task referred to 

at subparagraph (h); 

(j) 360° excavator operation; 

(k) rigid dump truck operation; 

(l) front end loader operation; 

(m) explosives storekeeping; 

(n) shotfiring; 

(o) explosives supervision; 

(p) such other quarrying-related tasks as may 

be prescribed by the Minister. 

(2) Where it is necessary to gain experience prior to 

undertaking a programme related to the tasks 

listed at subparagraph (1) it is permissible for a 

person to undertake those tasks during the 

training period required by the programme if - 

(a) the person concerned is at all times under 

the close personal supervision of a person 

who is in possession of a current registration 

card relevant to the task concerned, and 

(b) the person concerned is in possession of an 

appropriate identification identifying the 

person as a trainee in the relevant skills and 

an associated documented log-book 

recording experience gained in the skill in 

which the person is undergoing training. 

2. The requirement for the issue of a registration 

card under the Scheme is possession of - 

(a) the relevant FETAC award under the 

Scheme, 

(b) an equivalent FETAC award, or 

(c) an equivalent award approved by a body in 

another Member State of the European 

Communities recognised by FÁS as 

equivalent to the FETAC award under the 

Scheme. 


APPENDIX 2 

SCHEDULE 2 (See Regulation 23(2)) 

VEHICLES REQUIRING AUXILIARY DEVICES AND VISUAL AIDS 

Machine Type 

Reversing and visual aids required 

Off-road dump trucks (trailer to rear of driver) Reversing alarm and flashing beacon with CCTV or 

– payload greater than 7 tonnes convex mirrors or a combination of both to allow vision 

from the driver’s seat of all points more than 1 metre 

high and 1 metre from the machine at each side and 

at the rear of the driver 

Dumpers (front tip) no cab 

Dumpers (front tip) with cab 

Wheel loaders (loading shovels), 

including skid steer loaders 

Backhoe loaders (JCB type machines) 

Reversing alarm and flashing beacon 

Convex mirrors; reversing alarm and flashing beacon 

Reversing alarm and flashing beacon with CCTV or 

convex mirrors or a combination of both to allow vision 




Convex mirrors; reversing alarm and flashing beacon 

360 o excavators Movement alarm and flashing beacon with CCTV or 

convex mirrors or a combination of both to allow 

vision from the driver’s seat (without slewing) at all 

points more than 1 metre high and 1 metre from the 

machine 

Scrapers (bulldozers) 

Tracked type tractors (bulldozers) 

Graders 

Telescopic handlers 



vision from the driver’s seat of all points more than 1 

metre high and 1 metre from the machine at each 

side and at the rear of the driver 



vision from the driver’s seat (without slewing) at all 

points more than 1 metre high and 1 metre from the 

machine at each side and at the rear of the driver 

CCTV, convex mirrors, reversing alarm and flashing 

beacon 


convex mirrors or a combination of both to allow vision 




94 


APPENDIX 3 

SCHEDULE 3 

(See Regulation 55) 

GEOTECHNICAL ASSESSMENTS 

DOCUMENTS AND PARTICULARS TO BE INCLUDED 

IN GEOTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT 

Excavation, tip or lagoon. 

1. In this Schedule “excavation, tip or lagoon” 

includes, where appropriate, a proposed 


Site survey. 

2. An accurate plan on a scale not less detailed than 

1:2,500 showing - 

(a) the boundaries of the quarry upon which 

the excavation, tip or lagoon is or is to be 

situated, 

(b) the site of the excavation, tip or lagoon, 

(c) any contiguous land or structure that might 

be affected by the excavation, tip or lagoon, 

(d) buried quarry workings, known cave 

systems, active or former landslips, springs, 

artesian wells, watercourses, mine workings 

(whether in use or not) and other natural or 

man-made features, including tunnel pipes 

or culverts that might - 

(i) affect the safety of the excavation, tip or 

lagoon, or 

(ii) be relevant for the purpose of determining 

whether quarrying operations can be 

carried out safely. 

This plan shall be contoured, orientated and correlated 

to the Ordnance Datum Survey National Grid 

at a vertical interval not greater than 5 metres and 

marked with squares corresponding to the 100 metre 

squares shown on Ordnance Survey sheets on the 

scale of 1:2,500. 

Site investigation. 

3. A record of all relevant site investigation 

information including surveys, tests, boreholes 

and groundwater measurements made for the 

purpose of the geotechnical assessment together 

with the results of any testing including the 

strength of materials within and beneath the tip 

or within the excavated slope.The record shall 

include any known historical information 

relevant to the site investigation. 

Cross-sections based on site investigation. 

4. Sufficient accurate cross-sections on a scale not 

less detailed than 1:1,250 of the site of the 

excavation, tip or lagoon showing the existing 

ground surface and all relevant superficial 

materials and bedrock underlying the site and - 

(a) any variation in the thickness, level or 

character of the superficial deposits and 

bedrock materials based on the site 

investigation; and 

(b) the position of any surface, whether natural 

or man-made, that may affect the safety of 

the excavation, tip or lagoon. 

Plans based on site investigation. 

5. Plans showing the position of all boreholes, wells 

and trial pits used in the site investigation and the 

location and levels of all materials and surfaces 

that may affect the safety of the excavation, tip or 

lagoon. 

Assumptions made before analysis. 

6. A record of any assumptions relevant to the 

assessment of ground conditions relating to the 

safety of the excavation or tip made by the 

geotechnical specialist, including a record of any 

relevant information that was not available when 

undertaking the assessment. 

Findings of analysis. 

7. A record of the calculations carried out in order to 

determine the safety of the excavation or tip, 

including any variables or parameters used in 

those calculations and the reasons for using them 

and the findings of those calculations expressed 

as the factor of safety or the probability of failure 

or other recognised basis of assessing stability. 


APPENDIX 3 

Design coming out of analysis. 

8. An accurate plan on a scale not less detailed than 

1:2,500 recording - 

(a) in relation to an excavation, the design of 

the excavation, including the height or 

proposed height of the slope, the position 

and width of any benches and 

representative contours of the excavation at 

vertical intervals of not more than 5 metres, 


(b) in relation to a tip or lagoon, the design of 

the tip or lagoon, including the area of land 

covered or to be covered, the gradients of 

that land, the designed contours at vertical 

intervals of not more than 2 metres, the side 

slopes and boundaries of the tip or lagoon 

and the designed position and nature of 

construction of any wall or other structure 

retaining or confining the tip, or lagoon. 

Requirements during and after quarrying operations. 

9. A report of the nature and extent of inspection, 

supervision and safety measures necessary to 

ensure the safety of the excavation, tip or lagoon 

and a specification of necessary engineering 

works and safety measures. A record of the action 

to be taken regarding defects shall be specified in 

the report. 

96 


APPENDIX 4 

SCHEDULE 4 

(See Regulation 58) 

AIR RECEIVERS 

PARTICULARS TO BE INCLUDED IN REPORT OF 

EXAMINATION OF AIR RECEIVER 

1. Name of operator of quarry. 

2. Name and address of quarry. 

3. Description, distinguishing mark and type of the 

air receiver. 

4. Date of construction (if ascertainable) together 

with a brief history of the air receiver. 

5. Date of last hydraulic test (if any) and pressure 

applied. 

6. Particulars of - 

(a) inaccessible parts (if any) at the time of 

examination, 

(b) the examination and test made, 

(c) its condition, including particulars of any 

defect materially affecting the safe working 

pressure. 

7. Particulars as to whether the fittings and 

appliances are properly maintained and in 

good condition. 

8. Particulars of the safe working pressure 

calculated from dimensions, thickness and other 

data as ascertained during the examination, 

taking account of unusual or exceptionally severe 

working conditions. 

9. Particulars of - 

(a) repairs (if any) required, 

(b) the period within which the repairs should 

be carried out, and 

(c) any other requirements that the person 

making the examination considers necessary. 

10. Where repairs affecting the safe working pressure 

are required under paragraph 9, particulars of the 

safe working pressure that shall apply to the air 

receiver - 

(a) before the expiration of the period specified 

in paragraph 9(b), 

(b) after the expiration of such period, if the 

required repairs have not been completed, 


(c) after the completion of the required repairs. 

11. The date of the examination and the name of the 

competent 


ISBN: 1-84496-095-1 

HSA0282

Safe Quarry - Health and Safety Authority

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